Hello, one of my clients would like to use cable glands for the cable exits of their cabinet. According to my UL508A inspector, it is possible to integrate them if the cable gland is QCRV. Does this contradict the NEC? Thanks in advance.
Cable gland on UL508A Cabinet
- Thread starter WKI
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petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
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- Semi-retired engineer
Ul508a does not care as long as the holes are sealed with something that has the same environmental rating as the enclosure
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- Semi-retired engineer
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
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- Electrical Engineer
I am guessing WKI's not a NEC person and was wanting some feedback from people whom are. Any questions from across the pond where someone is actually checking what our standards are before designing and shipping complex equipment here are good ones.
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- Bremerton, Washington
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- Master Electrician
The NEC covers the wiring to the control cabinet, and often the wiring from the control cabinet to the load. What’s inside the control cabinet is covered by UL standards. On my jobs, the inspector opens the door and looks for the UL 508a label, terminations, conduit entries and that’s it
Thanks you for all your responses. As Tortuga says, I am from France, and some questions might seem strange to an American engineer.
In a documentation that UL had sent me, it was mentioned that "cable glands are not be suitable for fixed equipment. The NEC, Sections 400.7 and 400.8 does mentioned the permitted and not permitted uses. That's why i'm asking my initial question.
In a documentation that UL had sent me, it was mentioned that "cable glands are not be suitable for fixed equipment. The NEC, Sections 400.7 and 400.8 does mentioned the permitted and not permitted uses. That's why i'm asking my initial question.
"Field Wiring" as defined in 2.21 of UL508A generally speaking is one of the US wiring methods in chapter 3 of the NEC, or depending on your specific use industrial control panel type / use case flexible cord may be permitted.
That wiring method is typically chosen / supplied by the installer including the attachment method to the cabinet and its best to keep options open for the installer.
That wiring method is typically chosen / supplied by the installer including the attachment method to the cabinet and its best to keep options open for the installer.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- Semi-retired engineer
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
So I think this might have to do with differences in wiring methods here vs the EU and elsewhere. As a gross generalization we don’t use cables alone in an unprotected manner as they are used elsewhere, we use conduit almost everywhere, except when there is the need for flexibility on machines, or when we use “Tray Cable” running long distances in trays. In those cases you CAN use suitable cable connectors, but they must be specifically listed for the use (type of cable) and environment (type of enclosure). Article 312 is where these issues are covered (I believe, I’m on my phone at the moment).
So IF you are meaning that you have flexible cord being used on a moving piece of machinery, you can absolutely use what WE call “cable grips”, which may or may not also require strain reliefs. If however you are using “single core” cables as fixed wiring, that entire method is problematic here, so the cable gland issue is probably the least of your problems.
So IF you are meaning that you have flexible cord being used on a moving piece of machinery, you can absolutely use what WE call “cable grips”, which may or may not also require strain reliefs. If however you are using “single core” cables as fixed wiring, that entire method is problematic here, so the cable gland issue is probably the least of your problems.
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