Section 409.2 Maybe UL508A? Is this the right Duck?

[brycenesbitt]

Ok, I know I don't know.
I will be building an electrical control panel and am trying to learn enough to know if it's going to fall under UL50 UL67 NEC 409.2 UL891 UL98 UL508A or.... not sure.

It's all going in a UL certified NEMA 3R standard enclosure.
It's going to have various DIN rail mounted molded case breakers, controllers, terminal blocks, wires, 240V power up to 200A, tap rule connections, a deadfront of sorts, switches, displays, temperature sensors, low voltage communication RS484 and more. It might even go "bing". That said "All components in power circuit have ratings", there's just a lot of other stuff going in.

I think it might be a UL508A panel but not sure. For UL508A only certain control numbers are allowed (See https://forums.mikeholt.com/threads...lowed-inside-an-electrical-enclosure.2578041/ ). And there are complicated SCCR rules.

The panel will not usually control industrial equipment: it's residential.
And it will be installed in more than one place.
How would I determine if UL 508A is the right rules to work from? What else might it be?

 

[ptonsparky]

Check definition Art 100 for Industrial Control Panel.

 

[brycenesbitt]

Check definition Art 100 for Industrial Control Panel.

Been there. NEC Section 409.2 defines industrial electrical panels as an assembly of two or more control or power circuit components, or a combination of both. Typically, these components may include transformers, contactors, switches, terminal blocks, motor drives, and overcurrent protective devices.

 

[ptonsparky]

So a control panel used in residential, commercial, or agricultural settings don't need to worry about 409?

FWIW, I did more than several Control Panels before that article came about. Certainly not to the standards required.

Times change.

 

[wwhitney]

Check definition Art 100 for Industrial Control Panel.

OK, here it is:

Industrial Control Panel. An assembly of two or more components consisting of one of the following: (1) power circuit components only, such as motor controllers, overload relays, fused disconnect switches, and circuit breakers; (2) control circuit components only, such as push buttons, pilot lights, selector switches, timers, switches, and control relays; (3) a combination of power and control circuit components. These components, with associated wiring and terminals, are mounted on, or contained within, an enclosure or mounted on a subpanel.
The industrial control panel does not include the controlled equipment. (CMP-11)

Versus the definition of panelboard:

Panelboard. A single panel or group of panel units designed for assembly in the form of a single panel, including buses and automatic overcurrent devices, and equipped with or without switches for the control of light, heat, or power circuits; designed to be placed in a cabinet or cutout box placed in or against a wall, partition, or other support; and accessible only from the front. (CMP-9)

Seems like the definition of "industrial control panel" covers every single panelboard with circuit breakers. Because the panelboard with circuit breakers will have two or more of them (automatic overcurrent devices is used in the plural in the panelboard definition), and so it is "an assembly of two or more components consisting of . . . circuit breakers . . . "

Which is pretty weird.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[brycenesbitt]

So a control panel used in residential, commercial, or agricultural settings don't need to worry about 409?
FWIW, I did more than several Control Panels before that article came about. Certainly not to the standards required.
Times change.

I literally don't know.
It's a first for me.
I'm trying to start at ground zero and learn. So far 508A seems hyper specific, like either some vendor had one thing in mind, or code code panel was scared people would use it too broadly. I'm worried my box won't fit in that, well, box.
My box is residential with a mix of power switching, tap feeders, controls and sensors at various voltages. Fortunately, there's nothing hydraulic, pneumatic, pornographic or air powered involved .

 

[hillbilly1]

Since a lot of the code is written by manufacturers, it was probably put in by them to stifle competition. Unless it’s been designed as a manufacturer supplied control panel, I see no reason for it to be limited to be built by manufacturers only. I have custom built many control panels for many specific uses.

 

[petersonra]

Ul508a specifically excludes a bunch of things from being covered by ul508a and says they are covered by other ul standards. Iirc, mccs and panel boards are some of the things covered by these other standards. There are also some special rules for some types of industrial control panels for specific uses.