In today’s era of rapid development of lighting technology, LED strip lights have become the leader in the field of lighting with their high efficiency, energy saving and environmental protection. However, the quality of LED flexible strip lights are directly related to their service life, lighting effect and safety. Therefore, the quality control of LED strip lights are particularly important. This article will analyze in detail the quality control of LED flexible strip lights and the testing requirements of certified standard light strips.
▲ Comprehensiveness of quality control of LED flexible strip lights
The quality control of LED flexible strip lights are a comprehensive process involving multiple links such as raw material selection, production process control and finished product inspection and testing.
●1. Raw material selection: Ensure that all raw materials are from qualified suppliers and undergo strict quality inspection. In particular, for key raw materials such as power cords, circuit boards, solder paste, lamp beads and resistors, more rigorous screening and testing are required to ensure their quality and stability.
1). Power cord: Select high-quality power cords that meet national standards and industry regulations to ensure that key indicators such as conductor cross-sectional area and manufacturing process (including conductors, insulation and sheaths) meet the highest standards. At the same time, the power cord must pass national mandatory certification, such as China’s CCC certification, to ensure safety performance.
2). Circuit board: The material, thickness and copper thickness should meet the design requirements, the welding quality is good, and there are no defects such as cold soldering and continuous soldering. At the same time, the circuit board should undergo strict electrical performance tests and environmental adaptability tests to ensure its stability and reliability.
3). Solder paste: The alloy composition, viscosity and mesh number should meet the welding requirements, have good wettability and fluidity, and ensure uniformity and integrity during the welding process. In addition, the solder paste should pass relevant environmental protection and safety certifications to ensure safety during use.
4). Lamp beads: Specifications, models, light effects and color temperature should meet the design requirements, have sufficient brightness and stability, and ensure the lighting effect during long-term use. At the same time, the lamp beads should pass relevant quality certifications and tests to ensure their safety and reliability.
5). Resistance: Resistance value, power and accuracy should meet the design requirements, have sufficient stability and temperature resistance, and ensure accuracy during long-term use. The resistor should also pass relevant quality certification and testing to ensure its safety and reliability.
6). Inner packaging bag: The material should meet environmental protection requirements, have no harmful substance residue, and have sufficient moisture-proof, dust-proof and anti-static properties to ensure the safety of the light strip during storage and transportation. In addition, the size and shape of the inner packaging bag should match the light strip to facilitate packaging and disassembly.
●2. Production process control: Establish a complete production process and quality control system to ensure that each production link meets quality requirements. At the same time, real-time monitoring and recording of key processes in the production process are carried out to timely discover and solve problems and ensure the stability and controllability of the production process.
●3. Finished product inspection and testing: Strict finished product inspection of the produced LED flexible strip lights , including appearance inspection, performance testing and safety testing. Ensure that all finished products meet relevant standards and customer requirements, thereby ensuring the quality and safety of the products.
▲ Strict testing of ETL/UL standard LED flexible strip lights
ETL and UL are well-known safety certification agencies, and their standards have strict requirements for the safety of LED flexible strip lights . For ETL/UL standard light strips, the following tests are required:
●1. Electrical safety test: Test the input voltage, current and power parameters of the light strip to ensure that it works within the specified range. At the same time, safety tests are performed under extreme conditions such as short circuit and overload to verify the safety performance of the light strip under electrical faults.
●2. Structural safety test: Check the materials and structures of the light strip’s housing, heat sink and other components to ensure that they meet safety requirements such as fire prevention, moisture resistance and electric shock prevention. In addition, check the fixing and installation methods of LED flexible strip lights to ensure that it is stable and reliable to avoid safety hazards during use.
●3. Environmental adaptability test: Test LED flexible strip lights in extreme environments such as high temperature, low temperature and humidity to observe its performance changes and damage. Ensure that LED flexible strip lights can work normally in various harsh environments and will not cause safety hazards due to environmental changes.
▲ strict testing of CE & ROHSA standard LED flexible strip lights
●1. CE standard
- CE standard includes EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) and LVD (low voltage directive). LED light strips must pass relevant tests and obtain CE certification before they can be sold in the EU market.
- EMC test: covers standards such as EN55015 and EN61547, and test items include radiation, conduction, ESD static electricity, CS conduction anti-interference, RS radiation anti-interference, EFT pulse, etc. These tests help ensure the stability and compatibility of LED light strips in electromagnetic environments.
- LVD test: covers standards such as EN60598, and test items include fault tests, impact, vibration, shock, electrical clearance, creepage distance and temperature rise tests. These tests help ensure the safety and reliability of LED flexible strip lights in low voltage environments.
●2. ROHS standard
- ROHS standards mainly restrict the use of hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, etc. LED flexible strip lights need to pass ROHS testing to ensure that they do not contain the above-mentioned harmful substances to meet environmental protection requirements.
▲Relevant test standards for SASO certification
The test standards for SASO certification cover many aspects of the product. For LED flexible strip lights , they mainly include the following aspects:
●1. Electrical safety test: Verify the electrical insulation performance, voltage resistance, overheating protection, etc. of the LED flexible strip lights to ensure that it will not cause electrical safety risks to users during use.
●2. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test: Evaluate the compatibility of LED flexible strip lights in electromagnetic environments, including electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic tolerance (EMS) tests, to ensure that it will not interfere with the normal operation of other electronic equipment and can withstand external electromagnetic interference.
●3. Energy efficiency test: Test the energy efficiency performance of LED flexible strip lights to evaluate whether their energy utilization efficiency complies with the relevant regulations of Saudi Arabia.
●4. Chemical safety test: For harmful substances that may be contained in LED flexible strip lights, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, etc., chemical safety tests are required to ensure that their content meets the relevant restrictions of Saudi Arabia.
▲ Testing requirements for SASO certification
In addition to the above test standards, SASO certification also puts forward the following testing requirements for LED flexible strip lights :
●1. Product description and technical information: Detailed product specifications, composition, design, use and other information of LED flexible strip lights, as well as relevant technical documents, need to be provided.
●2. Test report: A test report issued by an accredited laboratory must be provided to prove that LED flexible strip lights complies with the relevant standards and requirements of SASO.
●3. Compliance statement: Manufacturers need to provide a compliance statement stating that LED flexible strip lights complies with the relevant standards and regulations of SASO.
●4. Product sample: In some cases, it may be necessary to provide product samples of LED flexible strip lights for on-site testing or verification.
Notes
- Labels and logos: LED flexible strip lights need to be marked with SASO certification logos in the prescribed manner to facilitate market supervision. At the same time, product labels and instructions must be in Arabic or English, and the content must be accurate.
- Certification cycle: SASO certification cycles are usually long and may take weeks or even months. Therefore, it is recommended that companies plan the certification schedule in advance to ensure that the certification is completed before the product enters the Saudi market.
- Certification fees: SASO certification fees include testing fees, certification fees, and possible rectification fees. The specific fees vary depending on the product type, test items, and certification body. It is recommended that companies consult the certification body for detailed fee information before applying.
In short, the quality control of LED flexible strip lights involve multiple material selection links and multiple testing requirements. To ensure the quality and safety of LED flexible strip lights , comprehensive control is required from the aspects of raw material selection, production process control, finished product inspection and testing, and ensure that all electronic components meet relevant standards and customer requirements. Only in this way can high-quality and high-safety LED flexible strip lights be produced to meet the needs of the market and customers.