I have a spray tan machine which I wish to sell in the USA. I have had the machine tested by a CE test house. Do I have to have a UL approval as well?
Is UL approval required on all items sold in the USA
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The question appears to be "How do DC Capacitors get UL recognized?"
Or more generally "How does a product get UL Recognized or Listed?"
If the product fall under existing standards (UL and non UL standards) then the manufacturer applies to UL.
If the product does not fit the above standards or a change to the standard is required then the manufacture contacts the relevant standards committee representative (this could be UL ). For example ISO (http://www.iso.ch) or ANSI (http://www.ansi.org). (The committees are composed of “interested parties” like UL, consumer groups, manufacturer’s, insurance representatives etc. )
Another route is to participate as a member of the UL Standards Technical Panel, I believe it takes substantial time and effort. But if you want to participate try here ... http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/solutions/standards/developstandards/participation/callformembers/index.jsp
The OP wanted specifically the history of how how the standards were developed for the capacitors. The work of the committees / panels is recorded in minutes / bulitins however I don't know how to get hold of these.
CSA is an NRTL for US testing. Often products will be tested for both Canada and the USA, and products which have passed these test will bear the CSA mark with some US indication (cCSAus, CSAus, CSA/NRTL, etc.) - for example:
A CSA mark without a US indication is technically not valid for the US, even though the standards are largely identical between the countries. End users would get in trouble if the units you're selling cause any damage, with the onus on them to have had special inspection from UL (or some other NRTL) in order to get insurance payouts.
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Best Answer
The National Electrical Code requires that all items installed in a building be tested by an NRTL, generally that means UL listed. This does not apply to your personal use items, but does apply to any fixed appliances or electrical equipment that is installed within your home or commercial facility. If your local jurisdiction has adopted the national electrical code then this requirement applies.
Maybe... Assuming this is a mains powered device? There is US Federal law and there are also local laws. If you only sell a few you may get away with not getting a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) approval (there are many NRTLs, UL is just the most well known). However, besides pingswept's point, local electrical inspectors may prevent business owners from using your equipment based on local regulations unless they see an NRTL mark (even though the Federal gov may not require it).
Check with the test house that did your CE approval, if they are big enough they may also grant NRTL marks (we use TUV Rheinland). Note that not using UL or CSA may cause problems in some jurisdictions that are old fashioned. We have a $4.5M medical device and the City of Baltimore wanted UL, CSA or MET Labs so we gave MET Labs the TUV test reports and a check for a few thousand dollars and they gave us an approval. UL is a pain to work with, I would go with CSA before UL (even though CSA is Canadian they can grant US NRTL marks in general). Also note that as part of getting an NRTL mark, you will be signing up for periodic (typically four times a year) factory inspections where the NRTL will make sure you are still building your product in the approved way. Of course you pay for that privilege.
http://www.greenexpo365.com/portals/asf0001/resources/intertek/The_Q&A_Guide_for_NA_Product_Certification%28US%29.pdf
I think the bottom line for mains powered equipment is, if you want the US to be a significant market, you want an NRTL approval. While getting the NRTL approval, throw in the Canadian approval, there are only small differences in the requirements and you open up both markets.
Eric