A UL 508a certification is an industrial control panel directive, which electrical inspectors look for. The UL Listing Mark on an industrial control panel provides evidence of third party certification to the municipal inspection authority and to the purchaser of the panel. It shows that the panel complies with an acceptable safety standard. UL 508A – The Standard. UL 508A – Industrial Machinery “The following types of machines are identified as industrial machinery: − Metalworking machine tools, machines that cut or form metal − Plastics Machinery, including injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, specialized processing, thermoset molding and size reduction. 1.7 Fire pump controllers are covered by the Standard for Fire Pump Controllers, UL 218. 1.8 Equipment intended for use in hazardous locations, as defined in the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70, are covered by the Standard for Explosion-Proof and Dust-Ignition-Proof Electrical Equipment for Use in Hazardous (Classified) Locations, UL 1203.
UL 508A certification is an industrial control panel directive, which is sought by electrical inspectors. The UL 508A Listing Mark on an industrial control panel provides evidence of third party certification to the municipal inspection authority and to the purchaser of the panel. A UL 508A Listing Mark shows that the panel complies with an acceptable safety standard.
The official definition of an industrial control panel, according to UL, is 'an assembly incorporating two or more pieces of industrial control equipment or related control circuit devices, provided with interconnecting wiring and terminals for connections in the field. To allow the installer to properly install the panel in accordance to National Electrical Code (NEC) and other codes, electrical ratings and instructions are to be clearly explained on the panel.'
Installation of a control panel can be completed in two ways: in an enclosure as 'enclosed type' equipment, or arranged onto a mounting panel as 'open type' equipment. For 'open type' equipment, the assembly is installed in an enclosure provided by others, or at the installation site. Any of the outdoor enclosures or cabinets manufactured by Purcell Systems that carry the UL 508A Listing Mark would be classified as “enclosed type”, and complies with the applicable requirements for outdoor panels noted in the UL 508A standard.
UL 508A Certified Enclosures
Benefits of selecting an enclosure or cabinet that carry the UL 508A certification include:
- UL 508A certification provides the inspection authority and your customer evidence that the control panel complies with nationally recognized safety standards. These standards ensure public safety, and provide assurances that the electrical control panel is compliant with national and local electrical codes.
- Manufacturers that carry the UL 508A certification are subject to periodic unannounced inspections of their facilities by UL personnel. Through periodic audits of the manufacturers, UL can insure the manufacturer continues to meet the UL requirements for 508A certification.
- For a control panel to carry the UL 508A Listing Mark, the panel must contain only UL recognized and listed components. The UL Mark on a component means that UL has evaluated and tested samples of this component and has concluded that they meet the UL requirements. This protects the quality and integrity of the enclosure and provides guarantee of safe performance.
Outdoor Enclosures and Cabinets
Within the UL 508A standard, there are two sections that are more relevant to outdoor enclosures and cabinets. The GENERAL section addresses requirements for all enclosures, and these requirements include:
- Protection Against Corrosion
- Support and Securement of Live Parts
- Spacings
- Conduit Bushings
- Insulating Barriers
- Insulating Materials
- Grounding - General
- Grounding - Size of Terminal or Bonding Conductor
- Identification of Grounding and Grounded Circuit Conductors and Terminals
The OUTDOOR PANEL section addresses requirements for outdoor enclosures, and these requirements include:
- Enclosure Openings
- Accessibility of Live Parts
- Ventilation Openings
- Bonding
- Enclosure Environmental Control Devices
- Field Wiring
- Internal Wiring
- Disconnect Switches
- Branch Circuit Protection
- Markings
More UL 508A Information
Regulatory Information
CFI designs and builds UL 508A and UL 698A electrical control panels for municipal, industrial, and custom applications. We provide instrumentation and process control panels that are built to the customer’s precise requirements and standards.
Our panel fabrication shop offers unmatched quality with competitive pricing. We can fabricate a wide range of panels to meet the needs of your system. All panels are subjected to an exhaustive inspection process to guarantee superior quality, including point-to-point continuity testing, power-up testing, and PLC/HMI software testing.
UL 508A (Canada & USA)
CFI is a certified UL508A manufacturer of industrial control panels. All panels are certified for USA and Canada
USA/Canada – E314117
UL-508A is a standard for the construction of industrial control panels. Our builders have expertise in proper component selection, wiring methods and circuity calculations. We follow a customer’s construction requirements and recommendations. We guarantee panel listing and inspection.
UL 698A (USA Only)
CFI is a certified UL698A manufacturer of hazardous control panels. All panels are certified only in the USA.
USA – E316587
UL-698A is a specification for the design and fabrication of hazardous control panels. CFI has hazardous area expertise in unsafe areas of construction and installation. Hazardous areas are often contaminated with a variety of flammable vapors and CFI’s control panels are certified outside the project area.
Panel Building Services
Our shop offers build-to-print, in-house engineering, and OEM options. Our panels include the following and much more:
Ul 508a Exam
- PLC control panels
- Explosion-proof/Hazardous location control panels
- Operator consoles
- HMI panels
- Softstart pump panels
- AC/DC drives and related controls
- Farming/irrigation pump panels
- Machine controls
- Telemetry controls
- Heating/Refrigeration controls
- Instrumentation calibration
Ul 508a Standard Pdf
Electrical Control System Services