Tuesday, October 07, 2008
First Time a Laminated Busbar Supplier Has Been Granted UL746C
Rogers, CT – In a significant development for a component supplier, Rogers Corporation has received UL746C registration from Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(UL) for its RO-LINX laminated busbars used in mass transit, alternative energy power distribution systems and power electronics. This is the first time a laminated busbar supplier has been granted UL746C, which is an evaluation standard for end products requiring UL508C.
Previously, busbar component suppliers to power conversion equipment rated 1500 volts or less had been limited to the Underwriter's UL94 rating for flammability, even though their components had to comply fully to the specific requirements applicable to busbars used in power conversion equipment like converters. Only power conversion equipment suppliers could earn UL508C, which encompasses UL94.
"We are extremely pleased to be able to offer our customers the necessary ratings for our RO-LINX busbars," says Rogers' Dirk Maeyens. "We worked very closely with UL to define a new and complete UL-file by creating a modular, intelligent busbar construction."
The new UL-listing for RO-LINX busbars shows the required ratings for busbars according to UL746C and consists of:
• UL94 flammability rating
• Hot-wire resistance to ignition (HWI)
• High current arc resistance to ignition (HAI)
• Comparative tracking index (CTI)
• Relative Thermal Index (RTI)
Using Rogers' UL-rated busbars allows power conversion equipment manufacturers to reduce internal engineering validation time and preparation costs for their end products, resulting in shorter time-to-market. In addition, a UL-marking is under strict supervision of UL.
Most of Rogers' RO-LINX busbar designs - regardless of thickness, conductor layers or insulations - are covered by the UL508C rating. They include RO-LINX Performance for optimized inductance and control of partial discharge, and will be extended for RO-LINX Thermal for supporting higher power levels (up to 125 ° C) in power modules.
RO-LINX® busbars are engineered and manufactured at Rogers' ISO-9001:2000 registered facility in Gent, Belgium. All Rogers' busbars are tested individually to extremely wide tolerances before shipment. Rogers' Busbar Division's extensive experience with controlling partial discharge at testing levels exceeding 14kV guarantees reliability and performance.
For more information on Rogers' RO-LINX busbar family of products for power distribution systems visit the Rogers website at http://www.rogerscorp.com/pds
