Busbar processing machines

01

Size the machine to your largest bar and the forces needed

Payapress, a busbar-machine maker, describes its HBC-A120 as cutting, punching and bending copper and aluminium busbars on one wheel-mounted frame, taking bars 15–120 mm wide and 3–12 mm thick up to 4 m long, with 220 kN at the bending station and 160 kN each at cutting and punching. Round holes run from Ø4.5 to 20 mm, with oval and rectangular holes by optional dies, and hole spacing is held to ±0.1 mm. Each station has its own 1.5 kW hydraulic power pack so three operators can work at once, and it uses Siemens HMI and PLC, Duplomatic hydraulic valves and Schneider contactors. [1] For dedicated bending, the maker advises choosing the frame by the largest cross-section — 120 × 12 mm, 160 × 15 mm or 200 × 20 mm for its three benders — with the standard mold giving a 12 or 14 mm forming radius. [2]

Editorial calculation: a 120 × 12 mm bar has a 1,440 mm² cross-section, a 160 × 15 mm bar 2,400 mm² (67% more) and a 200 × 20 mm bar 4,000 mm² (nearly three times as much), so moving up one bar size changes the machine class, not just the dies. [2]

Give the supplier the bar materials (copper, aluminium), largest width, thickness and length, operations (cut, punch, bend, emboss), hole sizes and shapes, bend types and angles, required accuracy, output per shift, NC or CNC control and programming, single or multi-station layout, power supply, footprint and mobility, tooling to include, training and service, and quantity.

02

Choose stations, positioning and bend types

The HBC-A120 bending station makes flat (L-shaped) bends as standard and, with optional molds, double bends to pass one bar over another, edge bends on the narrow side, twist bends to meet a terminal facing the other way, and short end bends. Two versions differ in positioning: one has a programmable length stopper set from a 7-inch screen for repeat batches, the other a manual stopper for varied one-off jobs. Payapress lists its uses as main and distribution bars for low- and medium-voltage switchgear, connections between breakers, contactors and terminals, transformer and generator connections and busway sets. [1] It contrasts a 3-in-1 machine, whose three stations share one footprint, with a dedicated bender that does one job and is lighter and simpler to maintain; its benders run the same five bend types across sizes. [2]

Editorial note: ask the supplier to estimate parts per shift for your busbar set on each layout before choosing between a combined machine and separate stations.

03

Bar size, forces and tooling to request in each quotation

When requesting quotations, ask each supplier for maximum bar size per material and operation, station forces, hole and bend ranges, positioning accuracy, control type and tooling list.

04

Compare a CNC punching line with a combined 3-in-1 machine

For higher output, a dedicated CNC punching line is the alternative to a combined machine. EHRT's datasheet for its FlexPunch series describes three CNC-controlled axes, a hydraulic cylinder with a force of 340 kN, and punching of bar 15-200 mm wide and 3-16 mm thick. [3] The full FlexPunch has 10 tool stations and, with MultiTools 3in1, up to 27 punches plus a separating punch; the FlexPunch compact has 4 stations and up to 9 punches plus one (9 and 3 respectively without MultiTools). Both can take 1-2 thread forming stations. The operator starts the machine, feeds material and removes parts, and EHRT says feeding and removal can be further automated. [3]

Plan the floor space and foundations early: EHRT lists both versions at 7634 mm long, with the FlexPunch 4550 mm wide and 3500 kg and the compact 2500 mm wide and 3300 kg. [3] The maker also notes that workpieces are clamped from the side so punching can run over the entire workpiece, and that punching and bending machines can work from one production file in a shared database. When comparing quotations, ask each supplier for station count, punches per tool, maximum thickness and machine footprint on the same basis. [3]

05

Check a compact processing station for bars up to 125 mm

ERKO lists its BPS 1200 busbar processing station for cutting, bending and punching aluminium, copper and Al-Cu bars 20–125 mm wide and 5–12 mm thick, with bending angles from 5° to 90°. The measuring ruler positions itself automatically during punching, bending and cutting, over bar lengths up to 2,000 mm for cutting and punching and up to 1,600 mm for bending, and a movable cassette holds four punches so no retooling is needed between them. Processing procedures can be saved and recalled. [4]

Editorial calculation: its largest bar, 125 × 12 mm, is 1,500 mm², close to the 1,440 mm² of the 120 × 12 mm 3-in-1 machine above, while its 650 kg is about a fifth of the 3,300–3,500 kg CNC punching lines. Its 630 bar, 3 × 400 V/230 V and 650 kg give one published example for the operating pressure, supply voltage and machine weight fields below. [4] [1] [3]

06

Cutting, punching and bending stations with their hydraulics

07

Widths, forces, hole range and accuracy against the Payapress figures

Payapress figures fill the width, thickness, force, hole and accuracy rows; cut-length accuracy, pressure, voltage and weight are not stated by Payapress, and the ERKO station above gives one example for the last three.

08

Send the bars, operations and output together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Bars: [copper; aluminium; max width × thickness; length]
Operations: [cut; punch; bend; types]
Holes: [sizes; shapes; spacing accuracy]
Bends: [flat; edge; twist; double]
Control: [NC; CNC; programmable stopper]
Output: [parts per shift]
Quantity: [machines]

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