A Great Opportunity, Even for Small Quantities
December 18, 2024
A great opportunity for busbar market growth
Busbar systems are a major growth market, with several factors driving ever-increasing demand, for example, the growing importance of electrical energy in all areas, from the direct generation of electrical energy in solar and wind power plants to e-mobility. Digitization itself is a major consumer of energy in the ever more numerous and ever larger data centers. In addition, major economies such as the USA have changed their technical regulations, which means switching from cables to busbars in control cabinets of all kinds.
Easier entry into a new market
However, entry into automated busbar machining often represents a major hurdle for smaller panel builders. The new Punching Terminal PT S4 from Rittal Automation Systems, which is already of interest for processing smaller quantities of copper per year, should now provide easier access to this future market. Despite its compact design, the new machine offers three interchangeable tools plus a tool for cutting busbars to length, as well as a link to the RiPanel Processing Center for digitized order processing. A further benefit for the user is the coordinated, seamless interaction of Eplan engineering tools along the entire value chain in plant engineering – from the planning to the operation of the machine technology.
Processing copper and aluminum
The basic version of the Punching Terminal PT S4 processes flat copper material. However, if necessary, the system can also be designed to process aluminum material. The PT S4 processes bars with a thickness of three to 16 millimeters and a width of 15 to 127 millimeters. A total of four tool stations are installed for the individual assembly of standard tools with the Quick-Change-System, including a cutting station. Thanks to the strong tool springs and the resulting high retraction forces, even thick copper bars can be punched extremely cleanly, so that no post-processing is required.
Digitization for efficient punching
The Punching Terminal PT S4 is supplied with data via Eplan’s digital software solutions, such as Eplan Pro Panel with the Eplan Copper module, or other solutions. The processing center reads the geometry and then punches the desired holes and cutouts independently into the supplied raw materials. It is also possible to integrate the system into the Rittal software RiPanel Processing Center, which allows orders and processes to be distributed and digitally monitored automatically. In addition, networking punching and bending machines with a shared database enables cross-machine operation. Programming is possible directly at the machine and also from the office workstation. According to Rittal, the new compact machine should pay for itself within two to three years.
https://www.hannovermesse.de/en/news/news-articles/a-great-opportunity-even-for-small-quantities
