In the field of electrical product safety testing, the needle flame tester is an indispensable tool. It can simulate the impact of a small flame on product components to evaluate the fire resistance performance of products. With the wide application of electronic products in daily life, ensuring the safety of these products when encountering possible flame sources is of particular importance. The needle flame tester is precisely the key testing equipment designed for this purpose. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of Pego needle flame tester, its principle, key specifications, structure, standard, applications, and the importance.
1. Principle of needle flame tester
The needle flame tester is mainly based on simulating the burning process of the test sample by a needle flame. It produces a stable needle flame by adjusting the gas flow and flame height. The temperature and energy of this flame can locally heat the sample, so as to observe the reaction of the sample under the action of the flame, such as whether it will burn, the burning speed, the spread of the combustion, etc. Generally speaking, the tester uses combustible gases such as butane or propane as the fuel source. These gases can produce flames that meet the standard requirements under a specific burner structure.
2. Key specifications of Pego Needle Flame Testers
Control system | single chips and push buttons or LCD touch screen |
Burner | Inner diameter: Φ 0.5mm ± 0.1mm Outer diameter: ≤Φ 0.9mm Length: 35mm, Material: stainless steel |
Burner angle | 450 or 900 |
Application time | 0-999.9s±0.1s adjustable (normally 30s) |
Burning duration | 0-999.9s±0.1s (auto record, manual pause) |
Flame height | 12mm ± 1mm (adjustable), Measuring with a steel ruler |
Burn gas | ≥95% butane gas or propane gas |
Flame requirement | rising time from 100℃±2℃ to 700℃±3℃ should within 23.5s±1s |
Thermocouple | Φ0.5mm K type thermocouple (The insulating sleeve heat resist to 1100 ℃) |
Temperature sensor | Copper with Φ4mm and 0.58±0.1g weight, equip with K type thermocouple |
Test space | ≥ 0.5m3 , matte black background, illuminance ≤ 20Lux, exhaust hole: Φ70mm (Power on automatic work) |
Test period | auto control |
Pick-up tray | Yes |
Gas calibration device | Built-in temperature measuring box, gas calibration can be executed before test |
Accessories | Wrapping tissue, flat smooth wooden board, height gauges and etc.. |
Standard | IEC60695-11-5 (IEC60695-2-2), EN60695, GB/T51669.5, GB4706.1 |
3. Structure of Needle flame test equipment
A) The needle flame test equipmentusually consists of a chamber, a burner, a gas supply system, a flame height adjustment device, a sample fixture and a timing device.
B) The burner is the core component, and its shape and size determine the shape of the flame. It is generally a needle-shaped burner that can produce a concentrated small flame. The gas supply system includes a gas cylinder, a gas pressure regulator and a flow controller to ensure that the combustible gas can be supplied to the burner at a stable pressure and flow rate. The flame height adjustment device can accurately control the height of the flame to meet different standards and test requirements. The sample fixture is used to fix the test sample to ensure that the sample is in a stable position during the flame action. The timing device is used to record the time when the flame acts on the sample to ensure the accuracy of the test.
4. Standard of Needle flame test machine based on IEC60695-11-5
The needle flame test machine is strictly designed according to IEC60695-11-5. The IEC 60695 – 11 – 5 is one of the important international standards for the needle flame test. This standard details the equipment requirements of the needle flame tester, such as the flame height should be 12mm ± 1mm, and the flame temperature should reach about 700℃ – 800℃. Meanwhile, the standard also specifies the size of test samples, the testing time and position and other details.
5. Application of Needle Flame Tester
A) Electronics and Electrical Appliances Industry
In the production process of electronic products, such as parts of mobile phones, computers, chargers and other devices, the needle flame test is required. For example, for some small electronic components on the circuit board, such as capacitors and resistors, sparks may occur due to short circuits and other faults during the operation of the device. By testing these components with the needle flame tester, it can be evaluated whether they will cause a fire when encountering similar flame sources, thus ensuring the safety of the entire electronic product.
For the shell materials of electrical products, the needle flame test is also very important. For example, for electrical products with plastic shells, the needle flame test can determine the flame retardant performance of the shell materials. If the shell materials are easy to burn and produce a large number of molten drops under the action of the needle flame, it may lead to short circuits of the internal circuit or cause fire hazards to the surrounding environment.
B) Automotive Parts Industry
There are a large number of electronic and electrical devices inside automobiles, such as the electric adjustment devices of car seats and the electronic components on the instrument panel. These parts need to be evaluated for their fire resistance performance through the needle flame test. Because automobiles may have fire sources during driving due to various reasons (such as line failures, sparks generated by collisions, etc.), the needle flame tester can help automotive parts manufacturers screen out materials and parts with good fire resistance performance and improve the safety of automobiles.
C) Wire and Cable Industry
The insulating materials and sheath materials of wires and cables need to have certain flame retardant performance. The needle flame tester can be used to test the burning characteristics of these materials under the action of the flame. For example, when the flame acts on the insulating layer of wires and cables, observe whether the insulating layer will burn, whether a conductive path (carbonization path) will be formed after burning, etc., so as to judge the fire safety of wires and cables.
6. Conclusion
The needle flame tester has an irreplaceable importance in the field of product safety testing. It provides a reliable basis for the evaluation of the fire resistance performance of products through a scientific and accurate simulation of the flame action process. It plays a key role in safeguarding the life and property safety of consumers, promoting the improvement of product quality in the industry and meeting the requirements of safety regulations. With the continuous development of science and technology and the increasing requirements for product safety, the needle flame tester is also constantly being improved and perfected to meet more complex testing requirements.
