NSF International approves lab to test for BMCs Brake Friction Material Program

NSF International, an independent global public health and safety organization and registrar for the Brake Manufacturing Council’s (BMC) Brake Friction Material Program, has approved the first laboratory to perform the testing required under the new program - Link Engineering Company.

The states of California and Washington recently enacted legislation to limit the amount of copper and other compounds used in brake friction materials. The BMC developed a program requiring third-party testing and registration of all targeted materials used in brake friction material to help brake manufacturers comply with the new state regulations. As the registrar for the program, NSF International accepts test data from approved laboratories, determines level of compliance, submits applicable data to state agencies and publicly lists compliant materials on NSF International’s website.

Laboratories wishing to conduct testing for the new Brake Friction Material Program must be approved by NSF International. As the first testing laboratory to earn NSF’s approval, Link Engineering Company has demonstrated its commitment to quality by meeting the program’s stringent requirements. These include maintaining ISO 17025 accreditation to demonstrate a lab’s ability to produce consistent and valid test results as well as passing annual audits to verify ongoing compliance to brake friction material testing standard SAE J2975.

“Link Engineering is the largest independent friction material and brake testing lab in the world with over 75 years in the automotive industry. Manufacturers seeking to be accepted into the Brake Friction Material Program can now submit friction material to Link for testing and be assured that Link meets all of the state requirements and that test results will be acceptable to NSF,” said Bob Frayer, Director of NSF International’s Automotive Collision Certification Programs and Engineering Laboratories.

Implementation for the California and Washington regulations will begin in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and will be in full effect by 2025. However, the State of Washington is requesting that brake friction manufacturers provide baseline data in support of these requirements in 2013. NSF is currently working with friction material manufacturers to support compliance with these state requirements.

Other labs seeking NSF approval to test to this program are encouraged to apply. Applications to join the program can be found on NSF International’s website.

For more information about the NSF Brake Friction Material Registration program, visit NSF’s website or contact Dave Schenk at [email protected] or 734-214-6210.

NSF International tests and certifies auto parts with its Automotive Collision Replacement Parts Certification Program, including reinforcement bars, steel bumpers, step bumpers, brackets, absorbers, external vehicle lighting and other parts. Complementing this program, the NSF Automotive Collision Parts Distributor Certification Program helps close the gap in the supply chain between parts manufacturers and body shops and was developed to meet the needs of collision repair shops, insurers as well as consumers.