We give you confidence that your products comply with the mandatory requirements for supply and sale in the Australian and international markets by:

• Testing to validate electrical appliances and equipment are safe for consumer use, including small and large appliances,
• Performing material tests such as glow wire, needle flame, ball pressure, and proof tracking index,
• Undertaking tests for insulation resistance, electrical strength, moisture resistance, current leakage, overload protection and more,
• Assessing the safety and performance of military equipment against Defence standards.

Our electrical safety services, in detail:

Electric Cables

Vipac is NATA accredited to test to the following cable Standards:

• AS/NZS 3191 Electric flexible cords.
• AS/NZS 3808 Insulating and sheathing materials for electric cables, excluding the following tests:
  • Exudation of plasticiser
  • Acid and corrosive gas emission
  • Melt flow index
  • Carbon black content
  • Environmental stress crack resistance
• AS/NZS 5000.1 Electric Cables - polymeric insulated. Part 1 - For working voltages up to and including 0.6/1 (1.2)kV.
• AS/NZS 5000.2 Electric Cables - polymeric insulated. Part 2 - For working voltages up to and including 450/750V.
• AS/NZS 5000.3 - Electric cables - polymeric insulated. Part 3 - Multi-core control cables.
• AS/NZS 1125 - Conductors in insulated electric cables and flexible cords, excluding the analysis of copper content of Conductors (clause 2.2).
• AS/NZS 1660.1 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 1: Conductors and metallic components.
• AS/NZS 1660.2.1 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 2.1: Insulation, extruded semi-conductive screens and non-metallic sheaths - Methods for general application.
• AS/NZS 1660.2.2 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 2.2: Insulation, extruded semi-conductive screens and non-metallic sheaths - Methods specific to elastomeric, XLPE and XLPVC materials.
• AS/NZS 1660.2.3 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 2.3: Insulation, extruded semi-conductive screens and non-metallic sheaths - Methods specific to PVC and halogen free thermoplastic materials.
• AS/NZS 1660.3 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 3 - Electrical tests.
• AS/NZS 1660.4 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 4 - Complete cable and flexible cord.
• AS/NZS 1660.5.6 - Test methods for electric cables, cords and conductors. Method 5.6 - Fire tests - Test for vertical flame propagation for a single insulated wire or cable.

Vipac can conduct other tests on cables to Australian Standards including:

• Tensile strength and elongation at rupture before ageing
• Tensile strength and elongation at rupture after ageing
• Ageing in Air Oven
• Loss of mass
• Pressure at high temperature
• Heat shock
• Hot set
• Immersion in oil
• Electrical Tests - Spark, High Voltage and Insulation Resistance
• Flexing Test
• Bending Test
• Flame Propagation
• Smoke Density Test
• Thermal Stability

Household Appliances

Vipac has NATA accreditation to test household appliances to the following standards:

• AS/NZS 3100 Approval and test specification - General requirements for electrical equipment
• AS/NZS 60335.1 Safety of household and similar electric appliances (excluding Clauses 19.11.4 and 22.201 and Annexes F and H) and IEC 60335-1 (excluding Clause 19.11.4 and Annexes F and H) covering part 1: General requirements and the Part 2 series of the Standards for the following:
  • Part 2.2 Vacuum cleaners and water-suction cleaning appliances
  • Part 2.3 Electric irons
  • Part 2.5 Dishwashers
  • Part 2.6 Stationary cooking ranges, hobs, ovens, and similar appliances (griddles, grills, induction Hobs, induction wok elements, pyrolytic self-cleaning ovens, and steam ovens)
    
  • Part 2.7 Washing machines
  • Part 2.9 Grills, toasters, and similar portable cooking appliances (barbecues for indoor use, bread-makers, candy floss appliances, contact grills, cookers, food dehydrators, hotplates, induction wok hotplates, popcorn-makers, portable ovens, raclette grills, radiant grills, roasters, rotary grills, rotisseries, toasters, and waffle irons)
  • Part 2.10 Floor-treatment machines and wet-scrubbing machines (floor buffers, floor polishers, floor waxes, floor scrubbers, rug shampooers and upholstery shampooers)
  • Part 2.11 Tumble-dryers
  • Part 2.13 Deep-fryers and frypans
  • Part 2.14 Kitchen machines (including bean slicers, berry-juice extractors, blenders, tin openers, centrifugal juicers, churns, citrus-fruit squeezers, coffee mills, cream whippers, egg beaters, food mixers, food processors, grain grinders, graters, knife sharpeners, knives, mincers, noodle-makers, potato-peelers, shredders, sieving machines, slicing machines, and refrigerator/freezer ice-cream machines)
  • Part 2.15 Appliances for heating liquids (including coffeemakers, cooking pans, egg-boilers, feeding-bottle heaters, milk heaters, kettles, pressure-cookers, rice cookers, slow-cookers, steam-cookers, wash-boilers, tea makers, and yoghurt makers)
  • Part 2.21 Storage water heaters
  • Part 2.23 Appliances for skin and hair care (curling combs, curling irons, curling rollers with separate heaters, facial saunas, hairdryers, hand-dryers, heaters with detachable curlers, and permanent-wave appliances)
  • Part 2.24 Refrigerators and ice-cream makers
  • Part 2.29 Battery chargers
  • Part 2.30 Room heaters (convector heaters, heaters for use in greenhouses, liquid-filled radiators, panel heaters, radiant heaters, tubular heaters, ceiling-mounted heat lamp appliances, and cab heaters)
  • Part 2.31 Range hoods and other cooking fume extractors
  • Part 2.35 Water heaters - Instantaneous
  • Part 2.40 Electrical heat pumps, air-conditioners and dehumidifiers
  • Part 2.41 Pumps (aquarium pumps, pumps for garden ponds, shower-boost pumps, sludge pumps, submersible pumps, table fountain pumps, and vertical wet pit pumps)
  • Part 2.45 Portable heating tools (soldering irons, branding tools, burning-in pens, conduit-soldering tools, dehorning tools, desoldering irons, fire-lighters, glue guns, heat guns, household film-welding appliances, paint-strippers, plastic-cutting tools, soldering guns, stripping pliers, and thermoplastic conduit-welding tools)
  • Part 2.61 Thermal storage room heaters
  • Part 2.75 Commercial dispensing appliances and vending machines (bulk tea- or coffee-brewing machines, coffee grinders, commercial liquid heaters, coffeemakers with or without integrated coffee grinder, coffeemakers with cooling systems, hot- and cold-beverage vending machines, hot-water dispensers, ice-cream and whipped cream dispensers, ice-dispensers, newspaper, audio or video tape or disc vending machines, packaged food and drink vending machines, and refrigerated merchandisers)
  • Part 2.78 Outdoor barbecues
  • Part 2.80 Fans (ceiling fans, duct fans, partition fans, pedestal fans, and table fans)
  • Part 2.84 Toilets (mouldering toilets, package toilets, freezing toilets, vacuum toilets, automatic seat-covering devices, chopping units, heated seats, pumping units, water-heaters for spray seats, and spray seats)
  • Part 2.95 Drives for vertically moving garage doors for residential use
  • Part 2.97 Drives for shutters, awnings, blinds, and similar equipment (spring-controlled folding-arm awnings, curtains, grilles covering doors and windows, projection screens, shutters covering doors and windows, and draperies)
  • Part 2.98 Evaporative air-coolers and humidifiers
  • Part 2.102 Gas-, oil-, and solid fuel-burning appliances with electrical connections (central heating boilers, commercial catering equipment, cooking appliances, laundry and cleaning appliances, room heaters, warm air heaters, and water heaters)
  • Part 2.103 Drives for gates, doors and windows (folding doors, revolving doors, rolling doors, roof windows, sectional overhead doors, and swinging and sliding gates or doors)

Electrical Power Tools

Standards we can test to include, but are not limited to:

• AS/NZS 60745 Hand held motor operated electric tools, and equivalent IEC Standards: 
  • Part 1 - Safety
  • Part 2.1 Impact Drills and Drills in General
  • Part 2.3 Grinders and Sanders
  • Part 2.5 Circular Saws
  • Part 2.11 Jig Saws
  • Part 2.15 Hedge Trimmers

Ingress Protection (IP) Testing

Vipac conducts Ingress Protection tests in accordance with IEC 60529 or AS 60529, up to the IP68 rating.

We can conduct a range of water and dust IP tests at our NATA accredited laboratory in Melbourne, and our laboratory in Sydney.

Boxes and Enclosures

Standards we can test to include, but are not limited to:

• AS/NZS IEC 60670.1 Boxes and enclosures for electrical accessories for household and similar fixed electrical installations Part 1: General requirements.
• IEC 60670.1 Boxes and enclosures for electrical accessories for household and similar fixed electrical installations Part 1: General requirements.

Material Tests

Vipac provides fire hazard testing in accordance with AS/NZS 60695, AS/NZS 60112, and the IEC Standards, where applicable, including:

• Glow wire tests,
• Ball pressure tests,
• Needle flame test,
• Fire hazard testing (50W and 500W),
• Comparative and proof tracking index.

Energy labelling and MEPS

In addition to electrical safety testing, Vipac provides energy labelling and MEPS testing services for a broad range of products.

Research and Development

Vipac is a registered Research Service Provider (RSP Code: 15701), meaning that R&D work conducted at Vipac may be eligible for the R&D Tax Incentive.

Other Testing

Vipac offers other testing on electrical appliances and tools to Australian and IEC Standards including:

• Ageing tests on motors
• Insulation resistance
• Electric strength
• Moisture resistance
• Leakage current
• Overload protection of transformers and associated circuits
• Mechanical strength
• Resistance to heat, fire and tracking.