October 11, 2004—Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) has launched its Fire Protection Analytical Services, a program that gives manufacturers the ability to build safety compliance into their product throughout the entire development cycle, from initial design to final certification.
Because of the risks and costs associated with failing a fire test, UL’s Fire Protection Analytical Services is especially relevant for the testing of products required to meet fire safety standards, including polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride foam, gypsum wallboard, mattresses, upholstered furniture and components, composite plastics, and plastic lumber.
“Building a prototype for certification testing is an expensive process, and a failed test can delay time to market by months,” said Tom Chapin, general manager, UL’s Fire Protection Strategic Business Unit. “By using Analytical Services from the beginning, companies can save time and money that might otherwise be lost.”
UL’s Fire Protection Analytical Services gives manufacturers access to a wide array of testing services for every phase of the product design or product optimization process. Through Analytical Services, UL can help organizations reduce manufacturing and raw materials costs, improve efficiency and speed products to market.
Areas covered as part of UL’s Fire Protection Analytical Services include:
- Materials characterization: Chemical, physical, thermal and combustion.
- Predictive analysis: Prior to production, UL can help to predict a product’s response to variables such as temperature, altitude and weather.
- Materials supply chain verification: UL can help manufacturers make sure that suppliers are providing the exact materials they claim.
- Materials substitution options: UL can determine how possible substitution of materials might affect the product.
- Product design optimization: UL can determine ways an organization can cut time and cost by analyzing a product’s design.
- Aging and reliability studies
- Root-cause failure analysis
For more information about UL’s Fire Protection Analytical Services, download the free white paper, “Assessing the Impact of Variation on Product Fire Safety Performance.
