3 Things You Need to Know About UL Recognized Component Mark - Is it Required for AEGIS Rings?

The AEGIS^® Shaft Grounding Ring does not require a UL^® listing or a UL recognized component certificate and its installation does not alter the UL listing of the product onto which it is installed.

AEGIS shaft grounding rings are designed to be installed by:

1. Motor manufacturers on new motors in the factory.
2. Motor Repair shops on existing motors and new motors.
   
3. Field maintenance personnel on installed motors.

Here are the 3 things you need to know:

1. Scenario: You are an electric motor repair business or maintenance technician and someone tells you "unless there is a UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK on the component, it can't be installed on the motor."  Not true.  

1. Per information on the UL website, the UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK is for components that are "to be installed at the factory, not in the field and they may have restricted performance capabilities that limit their use."
2. Some suppliers of spring-enabled carbon block brushes have applied and received the "UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK."  If this is the case one should ask if their component has any restricted performance capabilities which would restrict their use.
3. AEGIS Shaft Grounding Rings do not have a UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK because it is not required by the motor or equipment manufacturers.  The mark has nothing to do with motor repair or field installations and AEGIS Rings have no "restricted performance capabilities."
4. The AEGIS Shaft Grounding Ring is a passive shaft grounding device with no moving parts.  They simply sit over the motor's shaft and the hundreds of thousands of conductive microfibers do the work, discharging shaft voltage away from the motor's bearings to ground.

2. Is it required that ALL components which go into a motor or system have a UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK?  The simple answer is NO.

1. An electric motor is considered a component and most carry the UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK on their nameplates.  That is because they "are intended to be installed in another device, system or end product" [source: UL website]
2. Not every subcomponent in an electric motor has a UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK, and they are not required by the motor manufacturer to have one.
3. AEGIS Rings for example, as a subcomponent to a motor, do not need a UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK.

Motor Nameplate with UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK

3. If a shaft grounding ring does not have the "UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK" can it be installed on UL Listed equipment or an electric motor by the motor manufacturer?  Of course, it can!

1. AEGIS Shaft Grounding Rings are factory installed on electric motors manufactured by ABB (Baldor), WEG, Regal, Leeson, TECO, GE, NIDEC, and others.  These motors have the UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK on their nameplates.

Motors with AEGIS Shaft Grounding Rings Factory Installed

The following is an excerpt from the UL website.  Visit the link below for the most up to date information

UL RECOGNIZED COMPONENT MARK

"These are Marks consumers rarely see because they are specifically used on component parts that are part of a larger product or system. These components may have restrictions on their performance or may be incomplete in construction." 

"Components covered by UL’s Recognized Component program are intended to be installed in another device, system or end product. They are to be installed at the factory, not in the field and they may have restricted performance capabilities that limit their use."