Getting all the appropriate Electronic Product Certification to be huge development and marketed can be sufficient to push you certifiably insane. Teksun Microsys is here to assist you to find your way around.
Before moving ahead let’s have a look at some facts:
- Almost 50% of customer electronic products fail to match standard certification testing during their first approach.
- Practically every certification test is costly and time-consuming and most products need multiple tests before they move.
- When it comes to being cost- and time-effective, your best chance is to discuss an authorized third party who has the experience and resources to know exactly which certifications your product will need, what your Embedded Hardware Design And Development will require to get them and to give the test lab, conditions, and approved regulator all under one roof.
What to Consider When Obtaining Electronic Product Certification?
You cannot ship products to your customers till some certifications are complete, so include the possible time and cost the certifications can take into your project strategy.
If you test in a rush and then make some important design changes, you will void the test and you will require more time and money retesting. For instance, don’t worry about scheduling your certification tests until you have the bulk product manufacturing concluded and at least 80% of your bugs formed. Moreover, the regulation may need your user guide with the test unit. Therefore make sure you have a complete guidebook before you submit for testing.
Finally, different countries, and sometimes many states, need different certifications. Make sure to do proper research or else you may end up spending quality time and money on tests that not required while jumping ones you require.
List Of Common Certifications
- FCC Certification
- UL & CSA Certifications
- CE Marking
- RoHS and/or WEEE Certification
- Bluetooth SIG
FCC CERTIFICATION
Who Will Need Fcc Certification?
- If your Electronic Product oscillates at 9 kHz or higher
- And if you want to manufacture or to market your product in the USA.
Why It Is Needed?
Since most of the electronic products with oscillating signals release some amount of electromagnetic radiation or radio waves and the purpose is to guarantee these don’t conflict with communications.
Some products are excluded from FCC certification. You can discover appropriate criteria through searching through the FCC regulatory documents or by discussing it with a sanctioned test lab.
It will be illegal to sell, import or lease products in the USA, if you don’t have FCC certification.
FCC Testing is divided into classes: Class A and Class B.
Class A:It is an easier test to pass, and is designed for products that will be utilized in industrial applications.
Class B:This class is for consumer products and needs stricter testing.
FCC certifications are divided into two categories: Intentional radiator and non-intentional radiator. These categories are defined by whether your product fuses wireless capacities. Intentional radiators carry cell phones, wireless connections, and Bluetooth connections. Unintentional radiators carry television sets, digital cameras, and microwaves, etc.
Electromagnetic emissions are regulated in a dedicated place with a specific testing chamber known as the anechoic chamber and equipped with sensors for identifying electromagnetic emissions and produced to grasp all electromagnetic radiation. Likelihoods are you don’t have a certified internal FCC lab. And the charge to pay a testing chamber can be almost $1,000 per hour, with each testing session needing some time at least. Most products need many sessions and some modifications to claim emissions testing.
What’s the Suggestion?
Keep in mind to hire a third-party testing company to leverage their experience if you will need this certification and to carry all the required FCC testing.
UL & CSA Certifications
Who Will Need UL & CSA Certifications?
- If your electronic hardware product plugs straight into an AC socket
- If your electronic hardware product doesn’t plug straight into an AC socket but you need accident insurance or you are looking to sell the product by a large retail chain
- If you are looking to manufacture or market product in Canada or the USA.
Why It Is Needed?
From a technical point of view, this certification is not needed to market your product in the US, however, without it, you are liable for any safety problems. The UL certification will assure you are included if your product begins an electrical fire. If that occurred to you, having UL certification can assist guarantee you can get the proper claims.
Though not nationally needed, several insurance companies and large retail chains do need UL certification whether it plugs into an AC socket as an added protection measure.
CSA is an option for UL certification and is tested in both the USA and Canada.
There are various standards of UL certifications and it is very complicated to obtain the ones that apply to you. As several new products are sold direct to customers online to evade the number of UL certifications needed to get insurance or retail store assistance.
What’s the Suggestion?
Keep in mind to hire a third-party UL expert to examine your design also if you don’t continue with UL testing. Besides, going for a certification method with a specialist—also if you don’t require it—is especially helpful for knowing possible points of product failure that you may not unless acquisition.
RoHS and/or WEEE Certification
Who Will Need UL & CSA Certifications?
If you are looking to sell products in California and the European countries.
Why It Is Needed?
RoHS certification validates your product satisfies the limitations on 10 hazardous substances including cadmium, lead, and mercury. Penalties and fines are imposed against the manufacturers of products that are not RoHS accredited.
In the European Union, the WEEE regulation operates in connection with RoHS. The WHEE regulation just assures the design of electronic products will continue its safe transfer, ideally for habitat secure recycling.
What’s the Suggestion?
RoHS certification is both easy and cost-effective. Most contract manufacturers will look after your requirements.
RoHS consultants can manage compliance if your contract manufacturer will not securing all the parts of your product that have been tested against the RoHS documented and guidelines.
Conclusion
The above points are the certification iceberg base on what your product is all about and where you want to build or market it. There are many others. For instance, you may be excluded from ULA certification but then need IEC 62281 or UN38.3 certification as your product uses lithium batteries rather than plugging into a socket.
To clear this confusion, these laws are usually subject to change as new technologies are being developed.
Being careful and stay updated can help. The proper strategy to include the possible time and costs of testing is added significant move. Partnering with an Embedded Hardware Design And Development company that knows what certifications your product will require and look after all steps to get them for you is much better.
Teksun offers end to end product development. We also help in various certifications for projects When you are ready to develop your product, please keep us in mind.
