How Powermat’s Busbar Supports Improve Durability and Safety

What Are Busbar Supports, and Why Do They Matter

• Electrical insulation: They keep live conductors isolated from each other and from grounded parts of the enclosure, thereby preventing short circuits, arcing, and leakage.

• Mechanical support: They hold the busbars in place, maintaining alignment and spacing, and withstand forces generated during normal operation and fault conditions.

Key Ways Powermat’s Busbar Supports Boost Durability and Safety

• High-Quality Insulating Materials
  Powermat busbar supports are engineered from advanced materials like thermoset polyester compounds, epoxy resin, and bulk molding compounds (BMC/DMC) that provide superior dielectric strength.

• Electrical insulation even under high voltages.

• Thermal stability, resisting degradation at elevated temperatures (many supports operate safely up to 130 °C or more).

• Fire safety, thanks to flame-retardant formulations. For instance, Powermat’s L-type supports are made from glass-reinforced polyester that is UL-recognized.

• Track resistance, which helps prevent surface breakdown and flashover in polluted or humid environments.

• Mechanical Strength and Short-Circuit Withstand Capability
  High current systems, especially during fault or short-circuit events, exert strong electrodynamic forces on busbars. These forces can displace or deform busbars if the supports are weak leading to dangerous conditions like arcing or loss of phase clearance.
  
  Powermat addresses this challenge by designing supports with high compressive strength and flexural strength, capable of withstanding these dynamic stresses.
  
  Some variants, such as the grip-type busbar supports, are optimized for high short-circuit rating and can clamp multiple runs of busbars (6 mm, 10 mm, and 12 mm) without hardware.
  
  Finger-type supports from Powermat also offer high mechanical robustness, molded from UL-rated polyester compounds, and have undergone stringent mechanical and glow-wire tests.
  
  This mechanical strength guarantees that even under fault conditions, the busbar system remains stable and intact preventing catastrophic failure.

• Thermal Stability and Long-Term Durability
  Busbars heat up under load. Over time, thermal cycling (heating when load increases, cooling when it drops) can fatigue the insulating supports. Poor-quality supports may soften, deform, or lose dielectric strength under repeated thermal stress.

• Many supports can operate safely in a wide temperature range (e.g., –40 °C to +130 °C for certain polyamide grip supports).

• The thermoset and composite materials used are non-hygroscopic (they don’t absorb moisture), reducing the risk of insulation breakdown over time.

• Flame-retardant behavior ensures that in an extreme situation, the supports don’t contribute to fire propagation.

• Precise Spacing and Alignment for Safe Electrical Clearance
  Electrical clearance (distance through air) and creepage (distance along the surface) between conductors is critical to prevent arcing or flashover. Busbar supports play a key role in maintaining this spacing.

• L-type supports act as spacers or cantilevers, helping set exact distance between busbars. 

• Horizontal/Vertical supports are designed to hold busbars in different orientations, ensuring layout flexibility without compromising on clearance.

• Custom busbar supports from Powermat allow tailoring of dimensions (height, width, slot size) to match your panel design and ensure optimum clearance.

• Compliance with Standards and Certifications
  Safety is not just about design, it’s also about compliance. Powermat’s busbar supports are manufactured according to relevant standards, helping ensure that your system is safe, reliable, and certifiable.

• Powermat’s low-voltage busbar supports comply with IEC 61439, a standard for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies.

• Material recognition under UL (e.g., UL E249670 for the polyester compound used in their L-type, grip, and finger supports) ensures quality and flame-retardancy.

• Creepage/clearance, mechanical load, and dielectric tests are part of Powermat’s design and validation processes, ensuring that the supports are robust under realistic conditions.

• Versatility Through Product Variety
  One strength of Powermat’s busbar support portfolio is its variety, which supports tailored applications without compromising safety:

• Grip-type supports: Tool-free, high short-circuit rating, supports multiple runs.

• Finger-type supports: Precision alignment, strong mechanical strength.

• L-type supports: Act as spacers or cantilevers; ideal for flexible layout.

• Horizontal/Vertical supports: For dropper arrangements and different orientations.

• Minimizing Risk of Arc Flash and Electrical Faults
  Electrical faults like short circuits or phase-to-phase contact can lead to arc flash incidents, which pose a grave risk to personnel and equipment. Powermat’s busbar supports mitigate these risks in multiple ways:

• Insulation: By providing high dielectric strength, the supports prevent unintended current paths that might lead to flashover.

• Mechanical stability: Under fault conditions, busbars can vibrate or shift. Robust supports prevent displacement, thereby avoiding dangerous contact between phases.

• Creepage distance: Properly designed creepage on the support surfaces reduces risk of arcing over surfaces.

• Flame retardancy: In case of insulation failure, materials that resist burning help contain the fault and reduce propagation.

Real-World Applications: Where Powermat’s Busbar Supports Make a Difference

• Low-Voltage Distribution Boards (LDBs): In LDBs, the supports ensure that copper or aluminum busbars are securely held, insulated, and aligned. This maintains safety even under heavy load and short-circuit stress.

• Switchgear and Motor Control Centers (MCCs): Here, the high mechanical strength of supports like grip or finger type helps resist strong fault forces, preventing misalignment or failure.

• Compact and Modular Panels: In modern panels that demand space efficiency, compact L-type or custom supports help maintain necessary creepage/clearance without bulky installations.

• High-Vibration or Harsh Environments: For panels subject to vibration, temperature extremes, or moisture, the right material (e.g., non-hygroscopic, thermally stable resin) ensures long-term durability.

• Renewable Energy Systems / EV Infrastructure: Busbar systems in solar inverters, EV charging stations, or wind power panels benefit from safe, stable, and compliant busbar supports for both normal operations and fault scenarios.

Choosing the Right Powermat Busbar Support: A Safety-First Checklist

• Operating voltage class

• Continuous current and expected load

• Fault current magnitude and duration

• Distance between supports (span)

• Forces due to short-circuit or vibration

• Thermal expansion considerations

• For high temperature, choose thermoset or epoxy

• For moisture / humidity, non-hygroscopic materials like DMC or BMC

• For fire safety, materials with UL 94 V-0 rating

• Grip-type for multiple bus runs and high fault capacity

• Finger-type for precision alignment

• L-type for space optimization and spacing flexibility

• Horizontal/Vertical supports for dropper or non-standard layouts

• Custom supports for tailored design constraints

• Confirm compliance with IEC 61439 (or relevant local / international standard)

• Check UL recognition or other safety certifications

• Review test reports (dielectric, mechanical, thermal)

• Choose materials that resist moisture, chemicals, UV (if needed)

• Design for ease of inspection or replacement

• Document creepage/clearance, mechanical load, and thermal cycles for future reference

Why Powermat India Is the Right Partner for Safe and Durable Busbar Support Solutions

• Expertise and Innovation: With a specialized product range covering standard low-voltage supports, custom supports, and connectors, Powermat delivers solutions that are engineered for both safety and performance.

• Material Excellence: The use of flame-retardant, glass-reinforced polyester and advanced compounds ensures that the supports meet demanding electrical and mechanical standards.

• Compliance and Certification: Products are designed to meet global and national standards (IEC, UL), making them suitable for certified switchgear and panels.

• Customization: For applications with unique requirements be it space constraints, layout complexity, or high fault currents Powermat’s custom busbar support line offers tailored design solutions.

• Reliability: By prioritizing mechanical strength, insulation, and thermal resilience, Powermat ensures long-lasting, maintenance-friendly installations that significantly reduce the risk of electrical failures.