Safety First for US Market

In the USA, there have been important changes regarding the correct use of cables and wires for all manufacturers of industrial machines. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have revised it’s important Standard "NFPA 79, Electrical Standard of Industrial Machinery".

Red light for AWM Cables!

NFPA 79, new Edition 2007 expressly states that it does not allow the use of AWM cables (UL recognized)

on industrial machinery. Only machines that are wired with listed cables, suitable for its intended

application, will be accepted. For mechanical and industrial plant engineering companies, this means that they need to make changes in development, planning and production because machinery wiring, that does not conform to the new standard will not be certified for use. Non compliance to the code can result in rejection of machinery or equipment requiring correction via expensive retrofits or remakes. Such mistakes can also damage reputations and confidence in future performance. The 2007 edition is not compulsory in all parts of the USA. However, this temporary period of limited validity is likely to end in 2008.

So, what is …...AWM?

Appliance Wiring Material (AWM) refers to cables and wires that are intended for use in listed electrical equipment, devices and appliances that are fully wired at the factory. AWM is not intended for field wiring purposes. AWM recognised cables and wires can only be used for the applications listed in their individual style description.

Green light for UL listed cables

Safety first in the process of getting machines approved. We recommend you switch now from AWM cables to listed cables which are suitable for their intended application. That makes the labelling process safer and reliable. Help required? No problem! Lapp Group, as your competent partner, offers a lot of listed cable alternatives, to make your US export business compliant and easier.

So, what is ……UL Listed?

Listed cables and wires of this category are intended for use as fixed wiring in buildings used for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. However, they can also be used as flexible connecting leads for movable electrical equipment. The use of listed cables and wires must comply with the relevant articles of the National Electrical Code (NEC).

Caution regarding exceptions!

The new NFPA 2007 Edition includes an exception where the use of AWM cables shall be permissible, when it is part of a listed assembly suitable for the intended application, such as a integral part of a fully factory wired readymade wired sensor/actor box. If the (AWM) cable has been evaluated for external use and is used in a protected enclosure, Caution: Exceptions should be accepted and authorised by the National Recognised Testing Laboratories (NRTL) or Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). The machine evaluation bears an additional risk of uncertainty during the machines evaluation

and labelling process. Otherwise, any acceptance problem affects the approval process, time-wise and cost-wise, often associated with a loss in confidence and reputation as well.

MTW

79. MTW is allowed as its insulation requirements are defined under the NEC. It is permitted for

exterior use on the machine and also from the machine to the control panel. It cannot be used

from the control panel to the source of power. In those instances other types of cable need to be

used, the specific cable type would be determined by the actual end use application.

is one of the wire and cable choices that can be used on Industrial Machinery under NFPA

Lapp Group Solutions for NFPA 2007 Edition

Lapp UL Listed Products Conforming to NFPA 79 2007