Needle Flame Tester: A Core Equipment for Fire Safety Testing in the Electrical and Electronic Field

Abstract
With the rapid development of industries such as electrical and electronic equipment, household appliances, lighting, and information technology devices, the fire risk caused by faults like circuit short circuits and component overheating inside equipment has become increasingly prominent. Fire safety has thus become a core requirement for product R&D, production, and market access. As a key testing device for simulating small flame ignition scenarios, the performance of the needle flame tester directly affects the accuracy and reliability of product flame resistance evaluation. This paper takes the LISUN ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester as the research object, elaborates on its design concept, technical parameters, reference standards, application fields, and core advantages. Through detailed data and analysis of practical application scenarios, it reveals the core value of this equipment in fire safety testing, providing comprehensive equipment reference and application guidance for enterprises, testing institutions, and research institutes in related industries.

Needle Flame Test ZY-3

1. Introduction
As electronic and electrical products develop towards miniaturization, high density, and high power, the internal component layout of equipment has become increasingly compact. “Small flames” caused by faults such as circuit overload, short circuits, and component aging and overheating have become one of the main incentives for fire accidents. Although such small flames have low energy, they are prone to igniting flammable components such as surrounding insulation materials and plastic casings, thereby triggering large-scale fires and causing property losses and casualties. Therefore, simulating such fault scenarios and accurately evaluating the flame resistance of products and materials have become key links to ensure product safety.

As a specialized device for testing in such scenarios, the needle flame tester simulates the ignition process of small fault flames by directing flame application to test samples through a standard needle-shaped burner. It records the ignition status, afterflame time, and combustion spread range of the samples, providing a scientific basis for judging the fire safety of products. As an enterprise focusing on the R&D and production of testing equipment, LISUN has designed and launched the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester to meet the fire testing needs of various industries. With its precise testing performance, convenient operation mode, and wide adaptability, this equipment has become the mainstream choice for fire safety testing in the industry, providing important technical support for enterprises to meet the requirements of international and domestic market access.

2. Design Concept and Core Functions of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester
2.1 Design Purpose
The core design goal of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester is to reproduce the small flame scenarios generated by faults such as circuit short circuits, component overheating, and contact arcing during the actual use of electrical, electronic, and household appliances. Such flames are characterized by concentrated energy, small ignition range, but potentially long duration. Traditional fire testing equipment is difficult to simulate accurately. However, through optimizing the burner structure and precisely controlling flame parameters, the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester achieves high simulation of such small flames, ensuring the consistency between test results and actual fault scenarios.

2.2 Core Functions
• Precise control of flame parameters: The equipment can strictly control key parameters such as flame height (12mm±1mm) and temperature rise rate (from 100℃±2℃ to 700℃±3℃ in 23.5s±1s), complying with international and domestic standard requirements to ensure the standardization and comparability of tests.
• Multi-dimensional test recording: Automatically records the ignition time and afterflame time of the sample (0~999.9s, accuracy ±0.1s), supports manual pause and automatic marking, and can observe the combustion spread situation, providing comprehensive data for flame resistance evaluation.
• Flexible flame application mode: Supports single or multiple consecutive flame applications. The flame application time can be customized within the range of 0~999.9s (30s is recommended for regular use), adapting to the testing needs of different products, such as the detection of core components that require multiple fault simulations.
• Safe and convenient operation: Adopts a self-developed large LCD touch screen and remote control dual-mode operation, combined with clear indicator lights, simplifying the test process while avoiding direct contact of operators with high-temperature combustion areas, improving operational safety.

3. Technical Parameters and Reference Standards of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester
3.1 Key Technical Parameters
The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester is available in two models: ZY-3 (with cabinet) and ZY-3S (without cabinet). The core technical parameters are consistent, with differences only in the body structure and weight. The specific parameters are shown in the following table:

4. Typical Application Fields of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester
With its wide adaptability, the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester has been widely used in multiple fields such as electrical and electronic equipment, information technology, lighting equipment, automotive electronics, and material R&D, providing precise support for product fire testing in different scenarios:

4.1 Electrical and Electronic Equipment Industry
This industry is the core application field of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester, mainly focusing on the testing of key products and components such as low-voltage electrical appliances and switches and sockets. For example, in the testing of low-voltage electrical appliances, it simulates small flames caused by contact arcing to test the ignition resistance of components such as relay/contactor housings, circuit breaker insulation parts, and terminal bases, ensuring that products comply with GB/T 5169.5-2020 and IEC 60695-2-2:2021 standards; for household/industrial cable insulation layers, it verifies their flame resistance by simulating local overheating scenarios, meeting the requirements of GB/T 18380.1-2022 and IEC 60332-1-2:2017. In the testing of switches and sockets, it focuses on testing the plastic parts around panels and contacts, simulating small flames caused by current overload to evaluate their fire performance, ensuring that products pass the certification of standards such as GB/T 2099.1-2021 and IEC 60884-1:2022.

4.2 Information Technology and Audio-Visual Equipment Industry
With the popularization of devices such as computers, printers, routers, and mobile phones, the overheating risk of internal components such as chips and power modules has attracted widespread attention. The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester targets core equipment in this industry, such as the housings and insulation parts of computers/printers/routers, testing the flame resistance of small flames caused by overheating of chips and power modules, in line with GB/T 4943.1-2022 and IEC 62368-1:2023 standards; for display driver boards and projector housings, it focuses on evaluating the fire safety caused by high-voltage component faults. In the field of portable devices, it simulates small flames caused by short circuits for the housings and internal components of mobile phone/tablet chargers, adapting to the UL 94:2024 flame retardant requirements to ensure product safety in daily use.

4.3 Lighting Equipment Industry
The heat dissipation problem of lighting equipment is prone to causing component overheating. The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester provides professional testing solutions for both conventional lighting and special lighting products. In the field of conventional lighting, it tests the flame resistance of LED driver housings, lamp heat sinks, and lamp holder insulation materials, complying with GB 7000.1-2015 and IEC 60598-1:2020 standards; for fluorescent lamp ballasts and halogen lamp brackets, it focuses on testing the afterflame performance of small fault flames. In the field of special lighting, such as stage lights and outdoor floodlights, it evaluates the flame resistance around high-temperature components for their internal plastic parts, meeting the requirements of multiple standards such as GB 7000.1-2015, IEC 60598-1:2020, and GB/T 5169.5-2020.

4.4 Automotive Electronics and On-Board Equipment Industry
The safety of automotive electronic equipment is directly related to driving safety. The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester provides special testing for on-board electronic components and new energy vehicle-related parts. In the field of on-board electronics, it tests the flame resistance of navigator/on-board charger housings and automotive wiring harness insulation layers, complying with GB/T 2408-2021, IEC 60695-11-5:2016, and ISO 6722-1:2019 standards; for central control panels and door trim, it simulates the ignition risk of heating component faults to ensure product safety. In the field of new energy vehicles, it focuses on testing the insulation parts of charging piles and the housings of battery management systems, verifying their flame resistance against scenarios such as charging overload and circuit faults, meeting the requirements of standards such as GB/T 2408-2021 and IEC 60695-11-5:2016.

4.5 Material R&D and Testing Field
In addition to finished product testing, the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester is also widely used in the R&D and evaluation of engineering plastics and flame retardant materials. For materials such as ABS/PC/PA and other engineering plastics, flame-retardant modified materials, epoxy glass cloth laminates, and polyimide films, it provides data support for material formula optimization and flame retardant performance improvement by determining their ignition performance and afterflame time under small flames. The testing process complies with GB/T 5169.5-2020 and IEC 60695-2-2:2021 standards.

5. Core Advantages of the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester
5.1 Modular Design with Strong Adaptability
The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester adopts a modular integrated design, highly integrating functions such as precise temperature control, automatic timing, and data recording. It can flexibly adjust parameters such as flame application time and number of flame applications according to the testing needs of different industries and products, adapting to various sample sizes from small electronic components to large equipment parts, and meeting the diverse testing needs of electronic and electrical product manufacturers, testing institutions, and research institutes.

5.2 High Testing Accuracy and Reliable Data
The equipment’s control accuracy of flame parameters strictly complies with standard requirements, with a flame height error of only ±1mm, a temperature rise rate deviation of no more than ±1s, and an afterflame time recording accuracy of 0.1s, ensuring the accuracy and repeatability of test data. At the same time, a Φ0.5mm K-type thermocouple is used for temperature measurement, with a temperature measurement range covering 0~1000℃, which can accurately capture flame temperature changes, providing a scientific basis for flame resistance evaluation.

5.3 Convenient and Safe Operation with Excellent Experience
The equipment is equipped with a self-developed large LCD touch screen with an intuitive and clear interface, simplifying the operation process. It also supports remote control operation, allowing operators to complete test settings and startup within a safe distance, avoiding direct contact with high-temperature combustion areas, and significantly improving operational safety. In addition, the equipment body is made of high-temperature sprayed steel structure, which has high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, and can adapt to long-term high-temperature testing environments, extending the service life of the equipment.

5.4 Comprehensive After-Sales Support and High Industry Recognition
The ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester has been sold in the market for more than 10 years, and has gained wide industry recognition due to its stable performance and reliable quality. The LISUN engineer service team has summarized a large number of common after-sales questions (FAQ) and continuously updates relevant content. Most problems encountered by users during use can be solved through self-service inquiry. At the same time, the professional engineer team provides users with technical support and maintenance services to ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment.

6. Conclusion
With the increasing emphasis on fire safety, the needle flame tester, as a core equipment for evaluating the flame resistance of products and materials, its technical level directly affects the improvement of the industry’s fire safety threshold. The LISUN ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester provides a scientific and reliable fire safety testing solution for multiple fields such as electrical and electronic equipment, household appliances, lighting, and information technology by accurately simulating small fault flame scenarios and strictly following international and domestic standards.

With its modular design, high-precision testing, convenient and safe operation, and comprehensive after-sales support, this equipment not only meets the testing needs of enterprises for product R&D, factory quality inspection, and third-party certification, but also helps enterprises successfully meet the fire safety requirements for market access and enhance their core product competitiveness. With the continuous update of industry standards and the continuous upgrading of fire testing needs, the ZY-3 Needle Flame Tester will continue to give play to its technical advantages, providing important support for promoting the improvement of fire safety levels in various industries and reducing fire accident risks, and becoming a benchmark equipment in the field of fire safety testing.