How the Global Harmonization of Wire Harness Standards Will Impact Heavy Equipment Specification Decision Making
By Bob Rensa,
Heavy duty equipment original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) continue to face challenges like global competition, compressed development cycles, fuel economy and regulatory standards, but are also being tasked with the great responsibility of supplying rugged, robust and resilient equipment that can withstand and outlast the world’s most complex, harsh, and remote environments. These individuals, though, are about to get relief from the recent publication of ANSI UL 62275, as it guides solutions toward having consistent quality and performance.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) introduced ANSI UL 62275, which harmonizes with CSA C22.2 No. 62275 (Canada), NMX-J-623-ANCE (Mexico) and IEC 62275 (Europe), and establishes a scheme for standard type classifications and performance ratings. All regional standards had a stability date of December 2018, with updated standards being introduced this year.
Reducing the number of separate standards and testing requirements provides a substantial opportunity for OEMs to promote products that are high value, have consistent quality, and have a safe and efficient application, while also ensuring product performance and high quality based on the successful completion of test standards.
Solutions affected by ANSI UL 62275 include plastic cable ties, mounts, metallic cable ties and integral cable tie mounts. Testing under ANSI UL 62275 will include tensile strength, minimum operating temperature, minimum installation temperature, minimum and maximum bundle diameter, UV resistance, vibration for metallic cable ties-cycling, corrosion, contribution to fire-needle flame, and plenum rating.
This new UL 62275 standard will be critical because it creates harmonization between international markets and reduces confusion. Wire management products are undeniably crucial to maintaining organization, functionality and safety in the environments they serve. While countless industries have managed to flourish, and evolve because of consistent benchmarks for performance and quality, varying wire harness standards have resulted in slower progress and has created unexpected high total business costs. Internationally harmonized standards also provide a common understanding between international markets, allowing buyers and sellers in different markets to compare products that have each met one common standard and focus on the offerings they deem to be the most critical to their decision.
Previously, wire management products have been overly complicated by base standards, which include various regional standards from ANCE, CSA, IEC, and UL. Due to this complexity, wire management customers have not had a consistent benchmark of performance and quality, often resulting in unexpected total business costs. Due to standards not being harmonized, the industry was being served by varying benchmarks for compliance testing and certifications.
With more than 120 years of expertise, UL is made up of a worldwide network of industry-leading engineers that look to support the responsible design and production of solutions and innovation. Customers can be assured products meet the highest industry standards for optimizing wire management applications, and OEMs can now bring their solutions to market faster and easier than ever before.
Most of the industries that shape our daily lives have all experienced technological revolutions, and needless to say the heavy equipment and wire management industries are about to experience their own.
For more information, visit Panduit at booth #2251 at EWPT.
About the Author:
Robert Rensa is the Business Development Manager of Wire Management Products for Panduit, a leading global provider of electrical and network infrastructure solutions. Robert has more than 40 years of work experience in sales, product and business management at industry leading companies including Panduit, Eaton, and Furnas Electric (now Siemens Automation). He is also active in industry standards bodies including as the Chairman for NEMA 5FB-2-Wire Management Products, a committee member for NEMA 5FB-2 Technical Committee, Chairman for CANENA-THSC 23A-62275 and technical expert for USNC-SC23A-TAG-WG17 to IEC.
