Global mainstream certifications for magnetic materials and downstream products

Certification is a form of credit guarantee. According to the definitions of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), it refers to the certification by a nationally recognized certification body that an organization’s products, services, and management systems comply with relevant standards, technical specifications (TS) or its mandatory requirements Conformity assessment activities. The benefits of certification are self-evident. It is a "Letter of Credit" for products, a "Physical Examination Certificate" for corporate management, and a "passport" for international trade.

There are various certifications around the world, and the certification requirements of different countries, different industries and different customers are not the same. The following are the main international certification types of magnetic materials and related products of magnetic materials in terms of product safety and electromagnetic compatibility.

1. EU CE safety certification

CE certification is limited to the basic safety requirements for products that do not endanger the safety of humans, animals, and goods, rather than general quality requirements. It is a safety conformity mark rather than a quality conformity mark.

The CE mark is a safety certification mark and is regarded as a passport for manufacturers to open and enter the European market. CE stands for CONFORMITE EUROPEENNE. All products affixed with the "CE" mark can be sold in EU member states without meeting the requirements of each member state, thus realizing the free circulation of goods within the EU member states.

2. EU EMC electromagnetic compatibility certification

EMC is a directive in CE certification. The full name of EMC is Electro Magnetic Compatibility, which is defined as "the ability of equipment and systems to work normally in their electromagnetic environment and not to cause unbearable electromagnetic disturbance to anything in the environment." This definition contains two aspects. First, the device should be able to work normally in a certain electromagnetic environment, that is, the device should have a certain degree of electromagnetic immunity (EMS); second, the electromagnetic disturbance generated by the device itself cannot be Other electronic products have excessive influence, namely electromagnetic disturbance (EMI).

The electromagnetic compatibility of electronic and electrical products is a very important quality index. It is not only related to the working reliability and safety of the product itself, but also may affect the normal operation of other equipment and systems, and is related to the electromagnetic environment. Protection issues. Since January 1, 1996, all electrical and electronic products must pass EMC certification before they can be sold on the EU market.

3. EU RoHS certification

RoHS is the abbreviation of the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment). The purpose of this standard is to eliminate lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in electrical and electronic products. RoHS testing is for all electrical and electronic products that may contain the above six hazardous substances in the production process and raw materials, mainly including: white appliances (such as refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, water heaters, etc.), black appliances (such as audio, Video products, DVD, CD, TV receivers, IT products, digital products, communication products, etc.), electric tools, electric electronic toys, medical electrical equipment.

According to the requirements of the EU WEEE & RoHS directives, domestic qualified third-party testing agencies separate products according to materials, and use different materials to detect hazardous substances. Generally speaking:

Metal materials need to test four harmful metal elements such as (Cd cadmium/Pb lead/Hg mercury/Cr6+hexavalent chromium)

In addition to checking these four harmful heavy metal elements, the plastic materials also need to be tested for brominated flame retardants (polybrominated biphenyls PBB/polybrominated diphenyl ethers PBDE)

At the same time, packaging materials of different materials also need to be tested separately for heavy metals in packaging materials (94/62/EEC)

The EU’s CE certification is a standard law and regulation. It is a certification that products must do to enter the EU market, but the EU’s RoHS is not a mandatory certification. If the product is only CE certified, it can also achieve the purpose of sales, but it may affect the safety status of the product itself in the market.

4. EU REACH certification

REACH is the abbreviation of the EU regulation "REGULATION concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals", which is a chemical regulatory system established by the EU and implemented on June 1, 2007.

This is a regulatory proposal concerning the safety of chemical production, trade, and use. The regulation aims to protect human health and environmental safety, maintain, and improve the competitiveness of the EU chemical industry, and develop innovative capabilities for non-toxic and harmless compounds. The REACH Directive requires that all chemicals imported and produced in Europe must go through a comprehensive set of procedures such as registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction, in order to better and more easily identify the chemical components to achieve the purpose of ensuring environmental and human safety. The directive mainly includes registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction. In addition to the direct impact on chemical companies, REACH will have an impact on all companies that produce downstream chemical products, including textiles, machinery, toys, furniture, and more. There are more than 1 million products involved. Any product must have a registration file that lists the chemical ingredients, and explain how the manufacturer uses these chemical ingredients and the toxicity assessment report. All information will be entered into the European Chemical Agency for management.

5. American UL certification

UL (Underwriter Laboratories Inc.) safety laboratory is the most authoritative in the United States, and it is also the largest private organization engaged in safety testing and appraisal in the world. UL certification is a non-mandatory certification in the United States, mainly for product safety performance testing and certification, and its certification scope does not include the EMC electromagnetic compatibility characteristics of the product. UL certification mainly uses scientific testing methods to detect whether various materials, products, equipment, buildings, etc. are harmful to human life, property, environmental pollution, and product recyclability. UL certification can be compared with EU ROHS and Australia SAA certification and other large internationally recognized qualifications are equally famous.

6. U.S. FCC certification

FCC is the abbreviation of Federal Communication Commission (Federal Communication Commission). FCC certification is a compulsory certification of EMC electromagnetic compatibility characteristics in the United States. Many radio application products, communication products, and digital products require FCC approval to enter the US market.

FCC certification, also known as the United States Federal Communications Certification, includes computers, fax machines, electronic devices, radio receiving and transmission equipment, radio remote control toys, telephones, personal computers, and other products that may harm personal safety. If these products are to be exported to the United States, they must be tested and approved by a laboratory authorized by the government in accordance with FCC technical standards. Importers and customs agents must declare that each radio frequency device complies with FCC standards, that is, FCC license.

7. Canadian CSA certification

CSA is the abbreviation of Canadian Standards Association (Canadian Standards Association), which was established in 1919, is Canada's first non-profit organization dedicated to the development of industrial standards. At present, CSA is the largest safety certification body in Canada and one of the most famous safety certification bodies in the world. It can provide safety certifications for all types of products in machinery, building materials, electrical appliances, computer equipment, office equipment, environmental protection, medical fire safety, sports, and entertainment.

Products such as electronics and electrical appliances sold in the North American market need to obtain safety certification, and products that have obtained CSA certification can also enter the US market. (The CSA International logo with US or NRTL indicates that the product meets the applicable standards of the United States and can enter the US market)

8. Japan PSE certification

PSE is a certification mark given by Japan for electronic and electrical products that comply with Japanese safety regulations. According to the Japanese Electrical Equipment and Material Control Law, 498 products must pass safety certification to enter the Japanese market, which is a mandatory market access system for Japanese electrical appliances.

PSE includes EMC electromagnetic compatibility and safety requirements. All products in the "Specified Electrical Appliances" catalogue entering the Japanese market must pass the certification of a third-party certification body authorized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, obtain a certification certificate, and There is a diamond-shaped PSE logo on the label.

9. Australia SAA certification

SAA certification is a certification under the Standards Association of Australian, so many friends call the Australian certification SAA. Due to the mutual recognition agreement between Australia and New Zealand, all products certified by Australia can be smoothly sold in the New Zealand market.

All electrical and electronic products sold in Australia must undergo safety certification (SAA). There are two main SAA logos, one is formal approval and the other is standard logo. Formal certification is only responsible for samples, while standard marks are required for each factory inspection.

10. Australia C/A-tick certification

C/A-tick certification is a certification mark issued by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) for communications equipment. A-Tick is only applicable to communication products, and most electronic products apply for C-Tick. However, if electronic products apply for A-Tick, there is no need to apply for C-Tick separately. Australia's EMC electromagnetic compatibility system divides products into three levels. Suppliers must register with ACA and apply for the C-Tick mark before selling level two and level three products.

11. Australia RCM certification

RCM is a unified identification mark for electrical products being introduced in Australia and New Zealand. The mark is a trademark owned by the regulatory agencies in Australia and New Zealand. It indicates that the product meets both safety and EMC requirements and is non-mandatory. RCM certification can only be applied for by a local company in Australia, which must apply for an RCM number from the Australian government. Chinese manufacturers and exporters can apply for IEC or AS/NZS reports in their own names, but the report must be submitted to the Australian importer to apply for RCM.

12. German GS certification

GS is the abbreviation of German Geprufte Sicherheit (safety certified), and means "Germany Safety" (German Safety). GS certification is based on the German Product Safety Law (GPGS) and is a voluntary certification for testing by TÜV, VDE and other institutions authorized by the German Ministry of Labor to test in accordance with the EU unified standard EN or the German industrial standard DIN. It is recognized in the European market for German safety The certification mark is a safety mark accepted by European customers.

The GS certification mark is applicable to a wide range of products, mainly for products that are in direct contact with people. For electrical products, household electronic equipment, electrical and electronic office equipment, communication products, power tools, industrial machinery, experimental measurement equipment, etc.

13. German VDE certification

The full name of VDE is VDE Testing and Certification Institute, that is, the German Electrical Engineers Association. It is one of the most experienced testing certification and inspection institutions in Europe. As an internationally recognized safety testing and certification organization for electronic appliances and their components, VDE enjoys a high reputation in Europe and even internationally. The product range evaluated includes household and commercial appliances, IT equipment, industrial and medical technology Equipment, assembly materials and electronic components, wires, and cables, etc.

14. China Taiwan BSMI certification

BSMI is the abbreviation of Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection in English of the Bureau of Standards, Metrology, and Inspection of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan. According to the announcement of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan, from July 1, 2005, products entering the Taiwan area will be subject to electromagnetic compatibility and safety regulations. China Taiwan BSMI certification is mandatory. It has requirements for EMC and SAFETY. However, BSMI currently does not have factory inspections, but it must act in accordance with the regulations of the Bureau of Standards. Therefore, BSMI's certification model is: product inspection + registration supervision.

15. ISO9000 and ISO9001 quality system certification

ISO9000 is a quality management system and a set of standards. The standards include 4 core standards:

ISO9000:2005 Quality Management System-Basic Principles and Terminology

ISO9001: 2008 Quality Management System-Requirements

ISO9004: 2009 Quality Management System-Performance Improvement Guide

ISO19011: 2011 Quality and Environmental Audit Guidelines

One of the most used is the ISO9001 quality management system requirements, and the object of certification is the supplier's quality system. The object of quality system certification is not a certain product or service of the enterprise, but the quality system itself. Of course, the quality system certification will inevitably involve the products or services covered by the system. Some companies apply for certification of the overall quality system including all types of products or services of the company, and some applications only include one or part of the product Service) quality system certification. Although the scope of products involved varies greatly, the objects of certification are the quality system of the supplier. Quality system certification is often required by the supplier in order to provide external quality assurance, so the certification basis is the relevant quality assurance model standards.