DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE: SERVICE • QUALITY • INNOVATION
ESTABLISHED 1953
At All Metals Fabricating, we have seen a growing volume of copper busbar work in recent years, driven in large part by data center projects. To help keep pace with that customer demand, we have invested in a dedicated busbar production system that combines a Boschert CU-Profi punching machine and automatic loader with a Stierli-Bieger 420 CNC WP Hybrid bending center.
Together, this equipment will help us manufacture busbars with less setup and greater throughput.
Copper busbars can be produced using several types of equipment, including CNC punch presses, lasers, and mills. Each method can be appropriate for certain applications, but all three have different drawbacks when used in busbar production.
For instance, a traditional CNC punch press is generally the most efficient of those options, but it still requires significant programming and fixturing to hold the copper bar securely. Processing a bar on a laser can also require special fixturing and manual positioning. You can run copper busbar out of sheet/plate stock on a fiber laser, but you lose material utilization on a material that is very costly and have to make sure the customer is okay with laser cut edges.
The Boschert system is designed specifically for copper bar, and the programming and set up of this machine is extremely efficient. Its automatic loader uses pneumatic suction cups to lift unprocessed bars from a mobile material cart and position them for processing. Once punching begins, the loader returns to its programmed starting point to retrieve the next bar.
This automated manufacturing process eliminates most of the setup and material handling in the process. Rather than creating a fixture and spending substantial time setting up each job, an operator simply loads the required program and material. An integrated cut-off station also allows compatible busbars to be cut to length without moving them to separate equipment.
The 45-ton CU-Profi can process copper bar from 1/2 inch to 8 inches wide and up to 5/8 inch thick. It can perform up to 180 punching strokes per minute and accommodate standard punch diameters up to 1.25 inches.
The machine provides positioning accuracy of ±0.004 inch and repeatability of ±0.002 inch for consistent results. Without dedicated busbar punching capability, thicker copper bars would often need to be moved to a mill, adding time and cost to the manufacturing process.
After cutting and punching, parts can move directly to the Stierli-Bieger bending center. The 46-ton machine can bend flat material up to 8 inches wide and 0.625 inch thick. It can store 2,000 programs, so operators can quickly pull up existing programs for repeat orders.
The system can even calculate required bending values and account for material springback. These capabilities reduce the manual adjustments and trial and error during setup that can be involved in other methods of busbar manufacturing.
Boschert is a proven manufacturer, and the equipment’s simple design and compact footprint made it a strong fit for our operation. More importantly, this investment gives All Metals Fabricating a scalable process for supporting customers with substantial or recurring copper busbar requirements. As our busbar volume continues to grow, we expect the experience gained through repeat production to lead to even greater efficiency.
If you need a custom metal fabrication partner for copper busbar fabrication, contact All Metals Fabricating to discuss your project.
