Method of preparing epoxy coated bus bars for use in electrical distribution equipment
AssigneeSchneider Electric USA, Inc.
InventorJohn A Wittwer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated process for producing exposed electrical contact areas on the conductor part of an epoxy coated bus bar. When the epoxy coating is in the glassy state, one can safely and economically, preferably via automated apparatus, put the epoxy into the rubbery state by positioning the bar and applying localized heat at a select area of the coating; monitoring the heating to above the glass transition temperature of the epoxy, bringing cutting tools into contact with the epoxy for cutting and removing the rubbery coating away from the bus bar, and cooling the bus bar to bring adjacent coating back to the glassy state, thereby leaving an exposed electrical contact area of conductor on the bus bar with little or no surface damage.
Claims6
A method of preparing epoxy coated bus bars for use in electrical distribution equipment comprising the steps of:
- a) coating a bus bar conductor with epoxy and letting the epoxy harden to a glassy state on the bar;
- b) applying a localized heating to the subject area of hardened epoxy until the subject area of hardened epoxy is at or above its glass transition temperature and the subject area of epoxy is in a rubbery state and delaminates from the bus bar conductor;
- c) cutting the subject area of rubbery epoxy from the layer of epoxy remaining on the bus bar and removing the rubbery epoxy of the subject area from the bus bar to create an electrical contact area;
- d) allowing the epoxy coated bus bar with the electrical contact area to cool below the glass transition temperature to reharden any epoxy coating at the boundary of the electrical contact area.
A method of creating electrical contact areas on an epoxy coated bus bar wherein the epoxy is in the glassy state, comprising putting the epoxy into the rubbery state via automated means positioning the bar and applying localized heat at a select area of the epoxy coating;
- monitoring the heating to above the glass transition temperature of the epoxy, bringing cutting tools into contact with the epoxy while above the glass transition temperature for cutting and removing the epoxy away from the bus bar to create an electrical contact area, and cooling the epoxy coated bus bar to bring coating adjacent to the contact area back to a glassy state, thereby leaving an exposed electrical contact area of conductor on the bus bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.