MET Labs for Global Marketplace Compliance Testing

February 2009
	In this issue:

	Safety Updates Energy Star Testing LED Testing Japan PSE marking	Verizon TEEER testing Meter Certification HALT / HASS Webinar Hosting

Updates from the Product Safety Labs

For certification in the United States, MET Labs is currently conducting testing to UL61010-1: Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control and Laboratory Use; Part 1: General Requirements.
This standard, which was effective on July 12, 2004, replaces the following standards: UL 61010A-1: Electrical Equipment For Laboratory Use; Part 1: General Requirements (previously UL 3101-1) UL 61010B-1: Electrical Measuring and Test Equipment; Part 1: General Requirements (previously UL 3111-1) UL 61010C-1: Process Control Equipment

As of January 1, 2014, all existing products already listed to the above bulleted standards and intended to remain in production must be re-submitted for re-evaluation to comply with the second edition of UL 61010-1. Until this date, products can retain their existing listings but it will be advantageous to conduct all current and future testing to UL 61010-1 instead of the bulleted standards above.

In Canada, as of January 1st, 2008, CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 142, C22.2 No. 151 and C22.2 No. 231 have been withdrawn and no longer can be used for new test projects. Currently all CSA standards- certified equipment must comply with CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 1010-1-92 or C22.2 No. 61010-1-04.

This testing, as well as testing for the worldwide markets, can all be done by MET Labs. MET’s extensive list of accreditations includes approval as a National Certification Body in accordance with the IECEE Certified Body (CB) Scheme. MET is also approved as a Certification Body by the Standards Council of Canada and provincial authorities throughout Canada which allows MET to test and certify products to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards.

MET’s accreditations and large range of testing services allow a company's entire product line to be tested under one roof. MET’s lab locations throughout the world provide expertise in each testing area as well as experienced engineers and project coordinators that can help guide you through the regulatory compliance maze. MET also offers a 24-hour quote response time, minimal lead time, only two follow-up inspections per year (except for hazardous location and first year manufacturers in China), no hidden costs and complimentary design reviews. For more information on all of MET’s testing and certification services, please visit www.METLabs.com.

MET Labs has Sales Representatives across the United States. Please contact us to have a representative come to your business to review your testing and certification opportunities. Call 800-638-6057 to arrange a visit, or e-mail us at Info@METLabs.com.

MET authorized to carry out tests for Japan PSE mark by COSMOS
pictured above: Mr Kay Hamaguchi, President of COSMOS presenting Rob Frier, President of MET Laboratories the certificate for PSE marking for Japan, in Tokyo, Japan.	MET Laboratories has been assessed and is authorized to perform tests on behalf of COSMOS Corporation for the Japanese PSE marking per the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law.

		This law requires many electrical products, mainly used by consumers, to show proof of third-party certification (the diamond mark). Self-confirmation is permitted for other products covered by the law (the circle mark). MET can assist the manufacturer in determining which mark would be required for their product.
	MET's accreditation by COSMOS includes EMC Standards: CISPR 13-1/ EN55013-1 Sound And Television Broadcast Receivers And Associated Equipment - Radio Disturbance Characteristics - Limits And Methods Of Measurement CISPR 14-1 / EN55014-1 Electromagnetic Compatibility - Requirements For Household Appliances, Electric Tools And Similar Apparatus - Part 1: Emission CISPR 22-1/EN55022-1 Information Technology Equipment - Radio Disturbance Characteristics - Limits And Methods Of Measurement
The COSMOS certification also includes several IEC standards for Safety: IEC 60335-1 Household And Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 1: General Requirements IEC 60335-2-34 Household And Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 2-34: Particular Requirements For Motor-Compressors IEC 60335-2-8 Household And Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 2-8: Particular Requirements For Shavers, Hair Clippers And Similar Appliances IEC 60065 Audio, Video And Similar Electronic Apparatus - Safety Requirements IEC 60950 Safety Of Information Technology Equipment Electrical Safety IEC 60745-1 Hand-Held Motor-Operated Electric Tools - Safety - Part 1: General Requirements Within the family of 60745 standards for electric tools, MET is certified by Cosmos for 60745-2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-22, 2-12, 2-14, 2-16 and 2-17 (saws, grinders, drills, etc).

Testing to Energy Star Requirements

	MET Labs can conduct Energy Star testing. All consumer products that MET is currently approved by OSHA to test and certify, can now be tested to Energy Star specifications. The Energy Star mark will help to promote a product in this age of increasing energy efficiency product purchasing. In addition to other consumer products, MET can also now test Televisions to the Energy Star requirements. TVs that meet these requirements will be 30% more energy efficient than conventional models. If all televisions sold in the United States met the new Energy Star requirements, the savings in energy costs would grow to be about $1 billion annually and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of about 1 million cars.
Energy Star is a joint program between the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. Using Energy Star products helped consumers save $16 billion dollars on their utility bills in 2007.

Did you know MET tests LED-Based Luminaries?
Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting is becoming more and more demanded by consumers throughout the world. There are many advantages to using LED's in homes and businesses. For one, they are more efficient. Traditional incandescent bulbs generate a lot of heat. Very little of this heat is used to produce light so it is wasted unless the bulb is used as a heater. In contrast, LED's generate very little heat and what is produced goes directly to generating light. In addition to their improved efficiency, LED's also last much longer then incandescent bulbs. The small plastic bulb also makes them much more durable then a traditional light bulb. In the past, LED's have been expensive to produce because of the price of the semiconductor devices used but those devices have since decreased in price, making the production much more cost effective. Although the price of LED-based lighting products may be more initially than for their conventional counterparts, the savings during their lifetime will more than make up for it.

MET currently offers testing services to fit the scopes of UL 1598: Luminaries, UL 1993: Self Ballasted Lamps and Lamp Adapters and UL 8750: Outline of Investigation for Light-Emitting Diode Light Sources for Use in Lighting Products. The Safety Labs at MET can test most LED replacement bulbs including incandescent and fluorescent applications. For more information on MET's Green testing please visit www.METLabs.com/pages/GreenTesting.html or contact Info@METLabs.com.

Complete Your Verizon TEEER Testing Today
As of January 1, 2009 Verizon only purchases products with a Telecommunications Equipment Energy Efficiency Rating (T.E.E.E.R.). This rating must be obtained through a Verizon certified Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) whose scope of approved testing includes VZ-TPR-9205. MET Laboratories is one of the few labs with this recognition. The products currently covered by this requirement are broadband, video, data center, network and customer premise equipment. The new Telecommunications Equipment requirements can be reviewed in the Verizon Technical Purchasing Requirement (TPRs) document VZ-TPR-9205. This document can be found at http://www.verizonnebs.com/TPRs/VZ-TPR-9205.pdf. The demand for this testing is increasing, so contact MET today to get your T.E.E.E.R rating. To request a quote, please contact Sales at 800-638-6057 or Info@METLabs.com.

Meter Certification Program
With the introduction of smart meters to homes and businesses throughout the United States and Canada, it is important that utilities verify the accuracy, reliability and safety of these meters by a third party independent testing laboratory. To answer the demand of these utilities, MET has created the Meter Certification Program. This program can be adopted as a whole or customized for each utility depending on their needs. Contact a Smart Meter Consultant at MET today or visit www.METLabs.com/pages/meterCertificationProgram.html.

HALT/ HASS Testing
Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS) are now being performed at MET’s Santa Clara, California laboratory. Both of these testing processes use rapid temperature transition and random vibration to ensure a product will not fail under any condition in the field. These testing processes attempt to induce failures employing extreme conditions, therefore reducing development time and cost in the future. This process is the closest simulation to a real-world environment possible in the industry. Manufacturers can be assured after the HALT and HASS testing that their product has the same reliability throughout its product life cycle.

How does HALT benefit you? Through the HALT evaluation you will be able to:

Quickly discover design and process flaws

Evaluate and improve design margins

Reduce development time and cost

Eliminate design problems before releasing to manufacturing

Ship a mature product at market introduction

Use as a sustaining engineering tool to evaluate the impact of product modifications and cost reductions

Reduce claims under your product warranty

The testing takes, on average, between 2-5 days. The chamber, the new Qualmark Typhoon 2.5, features a 4th generation advanced vibration system that ranges in energy from 10Hz to above 5,000Hz. The chamber also has impressive thermal performance and consumes, on average, 30% to 60% of the utilities of other competitive models. In addition to HALT and HASS testing, MET’s environmental simulation testing lab has the ability to perform various shaker testing, including, Earthquake, Sine Vibration, Sine on Random Vibration, Random on Random Vibration and Shock (half-sine, saw-tooth, SRS/Transient). To learn more about any of these testing capabilities or to request a tour of one of our facilities, contact info@METLabs.com.

Webinar Hosting
MET is proud to announce the newest service for their customers, Webinar Hosting. Allow MET to train and educate your employees or customers on any facet in the testing and certification industry. MET will supply companies with our expert engineer presenters, as well as, coordinate the webinar from start to finish. This service also includes distribution of invites, registration coordination, use of our webinar provider, reporting functions, distribution of webinar presentations, and follow-up surveys.

Choose from subjects such as:

EMC
HALT/HASS
NEBS
Telecom
Wireless
Military
Product Safety testing
plus many more

MET LABORATORIES:
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West Coast: 888.638.9345
China: 86 755 8291 1867
914 W. Patapsco Ave., Baltimore, MD 21230

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