EN/CN

R&D

CTDP Lab


UL (Underwriter Laboratories Inc.), founded in 1894, is an international company that independently engages in safety science business. UL certification is a must for CCL products to enter the market.


According to UL regulations, CCL products are either in accordance with UL's fourteen standard infrared spectra, or are required to conduct long term thermal aging test (LTTA). Nowadays, as the electronic circuit industry is rapidly developing, CCL product categories are no longer limited to traditional FR-4 and most new products do not conform to the standard spectra. Therefore, LTTA has become an important approach of getting UL certification.


In UL third-party test data acceptance programs, LTTA requires long evaluation time and high technical requirements. Due to the long test time, the time for CCL products entering the market is greatly hindered. In order to speed up UL certification, after several years of preparation, in 2014, Shengyi Technology's long term thermal aging lab obtained approval to apply for UL Laboratory CTDP (UL Long Term Thermal Aging Client Testing Data Program) in the CCL industry in Greater China. The acquisition of this qualification enables technical researchers to carry out UL simulation test in the product development stage,shorten the UL test time, increase the pass rate of the product, accumulate LTTA related data, deepen the understanding of UL test, and guide product development.


Key Technologies and Levels


The construction of SYTECH’s long term thermal aging lab lasted for several years, and was continuously modified during the construction process. Air conditioner,exhaust pipe, activated carbon and other equipment were added to meet UL LTTA’s requirements of temperature control, ventilation, and exhaust gas control. The oven remote control system developed in cooperation with Shanghai Jinxin Electronics enables remote control of all ovens throughout the long term thermal aging lab.


The long term thermal aging lab has 24 Japan Espec PHH-201 thermal aging ovens. Other important parts such as watt hour meter, spot welding machine, temperature recorder, nine-point uniform temperature bracket, sample holder and others are all in accordance with UL recommended configuration. Laboratory oven layout is as follows:



Long term thermal aging lab

At the beginning of the lab construction, the Center carried out UL training to the staff, including standards, equipment, processing procedures and other related knowledge. After the lab was completed, technicians of the Center have basically possessed certain UL skills. After the UL LTTA CTDP lab signing ceremony in 2014, under the in-depth training and guidance of UL, the Center added and revised 34 system documents, wrote 14 work instructions and 19 recording forms, covering the whole LTTA test process, from standard update, sample preparation and management, equipment and fixture verification, aging test,sample test to record filling. In addition, 20 auxiliary devices were added, 27 equipment modifications were conducted on material testing machine, high-voltage breakdown instrument and thermal aging chamber and about 80 people participated in trainings.


After numerous audits of the laboratory system and technology by UL Taiwan, UL China and UL Hong Kong,UL USA sent the Laboratory CTDP Certificate to the Center on November 15, 2014. The certificate number is DA2505. Three persons of the lab obtained UL CTDP laboratory authorized signing qualification and three persons are authorized to conduct UL test.


Currently, the Center’s lab is authorized to conduct long term thermal aging treatment procedures, flexural strength (FS), tensile strength (TS), dielectric strength (DS) and 94V flame retardant (newly added in 2017) test in long-term or short-term certification.



Benefits of Result Transformation and the Enhancement of the Industry Technological Development and Competitiveness


The Center’s lab is approved to apply for UL Laboratory CTDP in the CCL industry in Greater China. Since the Center’s long term thermal aging lab has obtained UL CTDP qualification, it means that the Center possesses complete product safety testing capabilities, technical researchers of the Center have better access to get more familiar with UL standards, test methods and principles and carry out product safety design and tests in the early stage of R&D, enabling the Center and the supporting unit to shorten products’international certification cycle and enter the international market more quickly.


In addition, acquisition of this qualification has also established a high-quality platform for UL to cooperate with the domestic electronic circuit base material industry as well as upstream and downstream related industries. This platform enables the Center to act as a communication link between domestic peers, related industries and UL, so as to understand the global product safety technology hotspots and development trends more comprehensively, help domestic products to rapidly expand into the international market, enhance brand building and market competitiveness of domestic products effectively, and enhance their international influences in the industry.