In-Depth Guide: What is a busbar machine?

This is an in-depth guide to busbar processing machines. Whether you are a high- or low-voltage switchgear manufacturer, a panel factory, or a transformer manufacturer, understanding the core equipment used to process copper and aluminum busbars—the busbar machine—is essential, especially before purchasing one and making a decision. Given the current international situation of tight power resources, I believe this article will be of great help in systematically reviewing relevant knowledge about busbar processing machines before you begin understanding and purchasing them.

Busbar machine is a specialized piece of equipment used for punching, shearing/cutting, and bending copper and aluminum busbars of various specifications. It is widely used in the electrical equipment manufacturing industry, including high and low voltage switchgear, electrical panels, substations, high-density busbar trunking, cable trays, electrical switches, and communication equipment. By changing the molds, it can also perform special processes such as embossing, twisting, and wire lug pressing.

Советы: Differences between processing copper busbar and aluminum busbar

Based on their level of automation and structural form, busbar machines are mainly divided into the following three types:

• Features: Compact size, driven by a manual or electric hydraulic pump; the punching, shearing, and bending units are usually separate, independent tools.
• Suitable Scenarios: Power construction sites, maintenance and emergency repairs, and very small-batch workshop production.
• Advantages: Inexpensive and easy to move.
• Disadvantages: Low efficiency, poor precision, requires manual marking.

• Features: Utilizes PLC control and servo motor drive. Data is input via a touchscreen (or CAD drawings can be directly imported), and the machine automatically feeds, positions, and processes materials.
• Sub-categories:
  • CNC Busbar Punching and Shearing Machine: Specifically designed for punching and shearing at extremely high speeds. Representative product: MX602K series CNC busbar punching machine.
  • CNC Busbar Bending Machine: Specifically designed for high-precision bending. Representative product: NC40.ZB series CNC busbar bending machine.
  • CNC Multifunctional Busbar Punching, Cutting, and Bending Machine: Integrates punching, cutting, and bending into a single machine. Representative product: SS-50-3CNC PRO semi-automatic busbar machine.
• Applicable Scenarios: Large-scale complete equipment manufacturers (such as ABB and Siemens OEM factories) with strict requirements for output and precision.
• Advantages: Extremely high precision, no need for manual marking, labor-saving, and low waste.

If you’d like a visual demonstration of how a busbar processing machine integrates punching, shearing, and bending functions and operates efficiently, please refer to this video: Busbar Processing Machine Operation Demonstration.

This video showcases how a typical multi-functional busbar processing machine completes multiple processes such as bending, punching, and shearing on a single worktable.

Tip: Key factors for smoothness, accuracy, and scrap rate of busbar machining cross-section

Although the machines are generally compatible, copper and aluminum have different physical properties, requiring attention during processing:

• Material Hardness and Die Clearance
  • Copper busbar: High hardness and strong shear resistance. Die clearance should be moderate.
  • Aluminum busbar: Soft and sticky.
  • Die Sticking Risk:  Aluminum easily sticks to the die, leading to large burrs or die jamming in subsequent processing.
  • Clearance Adjustment: When processing aluminum busbars, the clearance between the punch and the lower die should generally be slightly smaller than when processing copper busbars to ensure a smooth cross-section.
  • Lubrication: It is recommended to spray a small amount of lubricating oil when processing aluminum busbars to prevent sticking.

Советы: Requirements for die clearance when punching copper and aluminum busbars.

• Bending Springback
  • Metals undergo elastic recovery (springback) after bending.
  • Aluminum Busbars: Small springback angle, but prone to cracking (especially hard aluminum). It is recommended to appropriately increase the bending radius (R angle) to prevent cracking on the outer side.
  • Copper busbars: The springback angle is relatively large, requiring different **elasticity compensation coefficients** to be set in the CNC system depending on the material condition (soft copper/hard copper).
•  Surface Protection
  • The oxide layer on the surface of aluminum busbars is relatively fragile, and aluminum is relatively soft, making it prone to scratches during feeding and clamping. It is recommended to use clamps or rollers with **polyurethane pads**.

Советы:The Influence of Bending Radius (R Angle) and Springback Compensation on the Bending Accuracy of Copper Busbars

Scenarios involving high current transmission, distribution, and conversion all require copper/aluminum busbars. Therefore, these industries and fields cannot do without busbar processing machines, which are mainly used for: high and low voltage switchgear, electrical panels, busways/bus duct, transformers, new energy power batteries, photovoltaic and wind power generation, and data center and communication equipment.

This is the largest application area and industry for busbar processing machines, primarily including factories producing high-voltage switchgear, low-voltage distribution cabinets, power cabinets, control cabinets, and electrical panels.

• Сценарии применения
  • Connection of the main busbar within the cabinet.
  • Branch connections between circuit breakers, contactors, and the main busbar.
• Industry Characteristics:
  • High variety, small batches: The internal design of each distribution cabinet may differ, resulting in a wide variety of busbar shapes.
  • Complex processes: Frequent flat bending, vertical bending, and twisting (90-degree rotation) operations are required to avoid other components within the cabinet.
• Machine Requirements: Flexibility is paramount. 3-in-1 busbar processing machines or CNC busbar machine are most popular because they require frequent adjustments to bending angles and changes in punching dies.

Busway/Bus Duct, also known as a compact busbar, is a power transmission method that replaces traditional cables and is widely used in high-rise buildings, factories, and data centers.

• Сценарии применения
  • Production of compact busbar trunking or air-supported busbar trunking in standard lengths (e.g., 3 meters, 6 meters).
• Industry Characteristics
  • High-volume, standardized production: Specifications are relatively fixed, resulting in huge output.
  • Long-distance processing: Busbars are typically very long (3-6 meters), requiring high straightness.
• Machinery Requirements:
  • Automation and speed are paramount. Fully automated CNC busbar punching and shearing lines are commonly used, with machines automatically feeding, continuously punching, and automatically shearing, aiming for extremely high production cycles.

Copper/aluminum busbars are required for both the internal coil leads and external connection terminals of power transformers.

• Сценарии применения
  • Fabrication of low-voltage side leads for large oil-immersed or dry-type transformers.
• Industry Characteristics
  • Thick busbar processing: Transformers handle extremely high currents, requiring very thick (even exceeding 16mm) and wide busbars.
  • Moderate Precision Requirements: Relatively simple shapes, but connections must be extremely robust.
• Machine Requirements: High tonnage is paramount. Heavy-duty busbar machines with extremely high punching and bending forces are needed to prevent machine deformation during thick busbar processing.

This is an emerging and rapidly growing field.

• Сценарии применения
  • Rigid copper busbars inside battery packs.
  • Internal connections within high-voltage distribution units (PDUs).
  • End forming and perforation of flexible busbars.
• Industry Characteristics
  • Miniaturization and Precision: Compared to industrial electrical cabinets, automotive interiors are extremely space-constrained, resulting in very compact busbar designs with complex shapes (numerous 3D bends).
  • High Insulation Requirements: Processed busbars typically require dip coating or heat-shrink tubing wrapping, thus demanding burr-free processing to prevent short circuits caused by puncturing the insulation layer.
• Machine Requirements
  • Extremely high precision. High-precision CNC servo busbar bending machines are commonly used, sometimes combined with laser cutting to replace traditional punching and shearing.

• Сценарии применения
  • Photovoltaic Inverter: Features densely packed DC/AC busbars.
  • Wind Power Converter Cabinet: Similar to a large switch cabinet.
• Industry Characteristics
  • High Current Density: Requires high heat dissipation.
  • Layered Design: To save space, the positive and negative busbars are often very close together, requiring extremely high consistency in bending. Large deviations in bending angles will prevent alignment during assembly.
• Machine Requirements
  • Prefers CNC machines to ensure consistency in mass production.

• Сценарии применения
  • Server rack front-end units (PDUs).
  • UPS uninterruptible power supply systems.
• Industry Characteristics
  • High Reliability: Any poor contact can lead to downtime.
  • Modular Design: Designs tend towards standard modular installation.

If you are a manufacturer of high and low voltage switchgear or electrical panels, dealing with non-standard products where drawings frequently change, a highly flexible 3-in-1 busbar machine is the first choice.

If you are a manufacturer of busway bus duct products, dealing with standard products, a high-efficiency automatic cnc busbar punching and shearing machine is recommended.

If you are a manufacturer of new energy vehicle parts and power batteries, dealing with precision busbar components, high-precision, high-efficiency, fully automated, and unmanned dedicated Шинопроводный станок с ЧПУ is essential.

Jinan, China, is a renowned busbar machine manufacturing base, with products exported globally.

• Shandong Lijian (Lijian / MAC): Specializes in CNC busbar equipment and excels in automated production lines.
• Jinan Sunshine: A long-established company; its three-in-one machines are extremely durable.
• Jinan Jingpeng (Jingpeng / JPMX): Holds a very high domestic market share, offering a complete product line from manual to fully automatic CNC machines. It has large export volumes and offers good value for money.

These brands are suitable for foreign-invested enterprises or top-tier complete equipment manufacturers with extremely high process requirements:

• EHRT (Germany/USA): The “Rolls-Royce” of busbar machining, renowned for its high precision and speed in punching and bending. Its software system is extremely powerful.
• Boschert (Germany): Its Cu-Profi series is very famous, offering extremely high punching efficiency.
• Stierli-Bieger (Switzerland): Specializes in horizontal bending machines, with world-leading bending precision and resistance to deformation.
• SUNSHINE (China): Focuses on multi-functional CNC busbar machines, offering low cost and high efficiency, providing customized busbar machining solutions for high and low voltage switchgear manufacturers worldwide.

Busbar machine brand recommendations: If you are producing standard switchgear, the Chinese СОЛНЕЧНЫЙ СВЕТ CNC busbar machine is usually the best choice in terms of cost performance; if you have a sufficient budget and pursue ultimate automation and a lights-out factory mode, you can consider EHRT and LIJIAN/MAC.