14th January 2025
Welcome to the third guest contribution in the Sustainability in UL Standards campaign, which brings to light the likely adjustments to standards in which machine builders and OEMs will want to be privy to, as they embark on bringing products to North American markets.
In this guest contribution, Stefano Muraro, Product Manager at Rockwell Automation explores specific evolutions of UL508A standards and the impact on industrial control panels, highlighting innovative, sustainable solutions for enhanced efficiency, compliance, and future readiness.
Since the UL508A technical standard was published back in 2001, it was immediately clear that for manufacturers of industrial electrical panels, the impact would be far reaching.
The rules of design, sizing and use of industrial components in the United States offer a different approach to those used in countries that meet the standards within the frameworks regulated by the European Community.
But over the years, there has been a relative approximation of the two worlds in comparison – the US approach has maintained the key principles that bind it in an indissoluble way to the requirements of the NFPA70, the National Code for Electrical installation, which is still leading the correct design of the ‘Industrial Control Panel’ product.
The NFPA70 code is inextricably linked to the American legislature as it is incorporated into the American Code of Federal Regulations at title 29, under the direct responsibility of OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration), one of the branches of the federal agency of the Department of Labor.
The circle is therefore closed between regulation and technical standard with the interactions of the Code of Federal Regulation (Title 29), the Electrical Installation Code (NFPA70) and the Industrial Control Panel technical standard (UL508A), each of which is incorporated into the others and becoming an active part of one another.
The Electrical Installation Code NFPA70 is reviewed and updated every three years; in the 2005 edition, paragraph 409, which deals with the guidelines for industrial electrical control panels and which incorporates by reference the Industrial Control Panel UL508A standard, was the subject of an important amendment that introduced the obligation to declare the short-circuit resistance of the panel at the point of installation.
This amendment does not refer only to the resulting data of the short-circuit resistance that must be affixed to the panel plate but also gives an important indication regarding the method for calculating this value by indicating what is reported in the SB.4 supplement of the UL508A as “an example of an approved method,” making explicit and making the use of this method a priority for the definition of the mandatory data to be declared.
The consequences of the change introduced in 2005 has had repercussions on all the main players in this scenario, from the end user to the machine manufacturer and the panel builder.
For the end user, it has become essential to know the parameters of the supply line to be able to calculate the actual short circuit current at the point of installation, to properly indicate the correct specifications to the panel manufacturer, who in turn, had to deepen the calculation method according to the required specifications and based on the electrical components chosen.
This has led to greater attention to the choice of suppliers capable of offering both components with excellent performance and the technical data available that becomes necessary to the calculation of the Short-Circuit Current Rating (SCCR) of the entire panel. In particular, the SB4 supplement of UL508A indicates that each component used in power circuits must guarantee its own Short-Circuit Rating, defined as Standard Fault Short Circuit Rating; the set of these values entered for each power circuit contributes to influencing the overall value of the SCCR of the entire Industrial Control Panel on the basis of the smallest value, therefore if there are components with low Standard Fault Short Circuit Current Rating these will be the bottlenecks that will negatively affect the overall SCCR value of the panel.
Depending on the specifications required, the resulting SCCR could meet the specified requirements but typically up to 5kA. However, if the specification requires an SCCR beyond this value, the SB4 supplement comes to the rescue by introducing the concept of High Fault Short Circuit Current Rating, offering the possibility of improving the value of a component with a low Standard Fault Short Circuit Current Rating by coordinating it with a protection device that, following appropriate laboratory tests, guarantees a certain High Fault Short Circuit Current Rating higher than the original value.
As an electrical component supplier, Rockwell Automation immediately understood the value of offering a complete package of tested and certified coordination and immediately began to work with this in mind, offering its customers the possibility of creating their own electrical panels according to the short-circuit resistance required by their customer. Furthermore, they are able to choose from one of the most complete collections of coordination not only for the most popular devices such as control devices and motor protection (contactors, thermal relays, inverters) but reaching all devices, even the most peripheral ones, such as current distribution equipment and din rail terminals blocks.
In this way, Rockwell can guarantee its customers high quality and performance products that are tested, coordinated and certified according to UL508A, with the advantage of making the selection procedures extremely fast by greatly reducing engineering times with a significant impact on costs.
The Rockwell Automation Global Short Circuit Current Rating (SCCR)Selection Tool provides coordinated high-fault branch circuit solutions for motor starters, soft-starters, and component drives. The one-line bill of materials provides coordinated high fault SCCR ratings for all power devices used in the circuit, which saves customers time and effort to find and determine these ratings. The data provided by the Global SCCR tool is based in compliance to IEC and UL standards.
In addition, Rockwell Automation, in its continuous search for greater sustainability, includes in its product portfolio, solutions that significantly reduce both space required and heat dissipation increasing at the same time. The new M100 starter, can control motors up to 23A in a very slim footprint for Direct or Reversing application with or without functional Safety and with embedded overload protection, phase lost, unbalance and weld detection; all functions of to the M100 and of the motor connected are monitored by a complete set of LED status.
Differing from alternative competitor products for its peculiarities based on the technology Point of Wave (PoW), the M100 can be placed side by side (Zero stack) without derating performances, that combined with the small footprint (25mm. or 45mm. wide) provide dramatic space saving. Additionally, M100 allows greater efficiency, low heat dissipation and a longer life guaranteed by the lower number of solid-state components.
Next future development of the M100 is to be included in the Ethernet In-Cabinet, a new solution from Rockwell Automation for reducing hard wiring connections and overall cost, whilst at the same time achieving full integration of motor control in the control platform.
M100 DOL up to 9A
M100 DOL up to 9A with Safety function
New Ethernet/IP – In Cabinet
Rockwell Automation is providing its customers with the best possible journey towards the future of industrial applications, combining technical expertise and expansion of its product portfolio with a ‘sustainability mind set’ as a priority.
The Sustainability in UL Standards Campaign explores the evolving intersection between UL standards, particularly UL508A certification, and sustainability. As machine builders and OEMs target the North American market, they must stay informed about potential regulatory changes driven by sustainability initiatives. The series delves into how sustainability trends are reshaping certification requirements, posing challenges such as material adaptation and cost balancing, while also presenting opportunities like enhanced brand reputation and market leadership.
Key themes include eco-friendly materials, energy efficiency, lifecycle assessments, and global compliance. The campaign’s goal is to raise awareness and equip stakeholders with foresight, enabling them to navigate this transformative shift and align with sustainability imperatives.
Want to stay up to date on UL content? Register for updates.
Stefano Muraro of Rockwell Automation explores specific evolutions of UL508A standards and the impact on industrial control panels, highlighting innovative, sustainable solutions.
In this guest contribution to the ongoing Sustainability in UL Standards campaign, Phil Murby, UK Commercial Manager at Lutze explores a different approach to the construction of a control panel.
In this guest contribution to the ongoing Sustainability in UL Standards campaign, Phil Murby’s insights provide practical guidance on aligning control panel wiring practices with sustainability and compliance, offering tangible solutions for both efficiency and environmental stewardship.
As the manufacturing community increasingly leans towards sustainable practices, machine builders and OEMs find themselves at the centre of impact and progress. But there are several caveats to ‘doing the right thing’, that will almost certainly emerge. The implications for standards and certifications like UL508A for one, could be significant.
European machine builders are increasingly eyeing the lucrative North American market. Ian Knight believes accessing the opportunity depends on your firm’s ability to strategically navigate standards and avoid the pitfalls of safety compliance.
PP Control & Automation has long been promoting the considerations to be mindful of when navigating UL 508A. When doing so, questions linking to NFPA often enter the discussion. This supplement offers some clarity on the relationship between the two.
PP C&A has signed a deal with Product Approvals to boost its product certification offer to global clients.
Having an understanding of the processes encompassing inspection and evaluation is a major facet to the right UL practice for OEMs and the often overlooked considerations and risks when converting European builds to US-ready machines or when looking to expand into North America with new machine builds altogether.
With the control panels built and the components selected, all under UL guidance, machine connectivity will bring the whole thing together but there’s a serious worry that all that hard work can be undone by not understanding the importance of cabling in relation to UL.
Many definitions used in systems implemented in North America have no equivalent in the design of industrial installations according to European regulations. The reason for this is not a simple problem of different terminology, but a different conceptual approach altogether.
PP C&A has over two decades of experience with the North American standards (UL, CSA & NFPA70/79) and can design and fully certify to cUL508a. Explore further here.
Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) challenges the prevailing, often vague narrative around AI adoption and reframes the conversation around a more practical starting point: operational constraints.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for manufacturers. It is already being explored across quotation, production planning, engineering, quality, supply chain and customer service functions. Yet, for many organisations, the gap between experimentation and meaningful operational impact remains difficult to close.
A leading aquaculture specialist – that is changing the way fish are vaccinated safely – has signed a major manufacturing deal.
On paper, defined discipline-specific suppliers can look organised. However, every additional supplier introduces another handoff, and every handoff creates another point where time, quality, communication and accountability can be lost.
Very rarely does growth not surface because an OEM lacks ambition. Shortcomings arise because operating models built to support such ambition don’t evolve quickly enough.
Recent weeks have brought two important industry moments into sharp focus, concluding that demand for AI and automation is rising, but investment, skills, and long-term thinking must follow.
For decades, one question has sat at the heart of operational strategy for machine builders and OEMs: make or buy? It’s a familiar debate and it isn’t the wrong question by any means, but perhaps it is an incomplete one.
In most machine building businesses, change is still treated as an exception. A late-stage drawing revision, component substitution, or wiring tweak discovered during build. Each one is handled, resolved, and signed off. And then everyone moves on. But what if that’s the wrong way to think about it? What if change isn’t the disruption to the system but the system itself?
