81 / 120
|
MARCH 2017
|
79
THINK
recall after we received three
reported incidents of overheating
with that product and we wanted
to do the right thing. That recall
set our company back and
damaged our reputation, so
we determined then that going
forward we were only going to
source products such as power
banks if they are UL tested and
certified. This decision was
clearly the wisest one we could
make to protect our clients and
end users because of the many
stringent standards and tests
that the products have to pass to
ensure that the design, materials,
components and assembly of
the products are satisfactory
before they can receive the UL
certification mark on them.”
LaTanya Schwalb, senior
project engineer for UL’s
Consumer Technology Division,
shared numerous insights about
lithium battery safety during her
education session on power bank
safety at The PPAI Expo in Las
Vegas in January. She informed
the audience that safety testing
is only voluntary for lithium-ion
batteries and power banks sold
in the United States, whereas
testing and CE (Conformité
Européenne) certification is
mandatory in Europe. Schwalb
suggested that suppliers should
always ask their factories
for testing under applicable
standards such as UL 2056 for
power banks or UL 2054 or IEC
62133, 2nd Edition for batteries.
Furthermore, Schwalb stated
that “if the proper testing has been
done, then the factory will be able
to provide the documentation
along with a UL File Number,
or other reference if the testing
was done by another Nationally
Recognized Test Laboratory
(NRTL). Companies can always
go to the UL website at www.
ul.comand search our online
Product Certification database,
using the search terms
‘power
bank’
to see if themanufacturer
has had the products evaluated by
UL for safety.”
In addition to requiring
proper testing and
certification, what other
factors should be considered
when sourcing lithium-ion
battery-powered items?
Have a rigorous factory vetting
process.
“In addition to proper
UL testing and certification of
the products, uncompromising
vendor selection is vital to our
success and having confidence in
our products,” says Koenig. “We
have been approached by many
power bank and tech product
factories over the past few years,
but after careful reviews of
numerous factors such as their
qualifications, safety policies and
procedures, production facilities,
product quality and compliance
documentation, we continue to
buy our power banks from only
one source because it’s the only
factory we’ve vetted that meets
AP Specialties’ high standards
for quality and requirements for
UL testing and certification. Our
top distributor clients rely on our
tough sourcing standards so they
can feel protected.”
UL’s Schwalb agrees that
factory vetting is vital. “One key
is to ensure that you source your
power banks from a reliable
manufacturer. That manufacturer
must have gone through the
process of having their products
evaluated for safety and they are
then able to produce the proper
documentation to verify their
safety claims,” says Schwalb.
After its Note 7 investigation,
a Samsung executive readily
admitted that they did not have
the proper quality controls
in their factories to prevent
the defects that caused their
batteries to explode. Due to
these quality and safety control
problems, Samsung announced
that they have since created an
“8-Point Battery Safety Check”
process, which includes several
improvements to their factories’
processes for enhanced quality
control and expanded in-house
and third-party testing of
the batteries.
Comply with battery transport
safety requirements.
Due to
the potential risks of lithium-
ion batteries and power banks
overheating and causing fires
during transit (aside from a
passenger simply trying to board
a plane with a banned Galaxy
Note 7 in his pocket or bag),
there are various tests under UN
38.3 that are part of mandatory
shipping requirements of the
U.S. Dept. of Transportation
(DOT), International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO)
and International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
Recent changes to ICAO/IATA
Air Regulations have limited
the state of charge to 30 percent
maximum for commercial
shipping of lithium-ion batteries
on both passenger and cargo
aircraft. In addition, beginning
January 1 of this year, all
packages that contain lithium-
ion and lithiummetal cells and
batteries contained in equipment
must be labeled with the Lithium
Battery Handling Label. Lithium-
Buying only
products that
have been
properly
tested and
certified by a
recognized
lab such as UL
is oneway to
safely source
these items.