The future of power distribution

Power distribution platform The future of power distribution

2024-11-15 A guest article by Dr. Jörg Lantzsch & Hans Robert Koch | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

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Time and cost pressures are increasing, and skilled workers are lacking: Control and switchgear manufacturing continues to face high pressure. What is needed are accelerators in plant construction. The solution is a new, open platform system that promises efficiency gains of up to 50 percent.

With the new power platform Riline-X, Rittal is leading power distribution in the control cabinet into the future.(Image: Rittal) — With the new power platform Riline-X, Rittal is leading power distribution in the control cabinet into the future.
(Image: Rittal)

The construction of power distribution technology in control cabinets is a real time-consuming task. Planning and assembly are often complex for plant manufacturers, and the appropriate specialists are frequently lacking. Even the 60-millimeter busbar technology, established since the early 2000s, still leaves some wishes unfulfilled in practice. Although it has become established in Europe due to numerous advantages over one-to-one wiring in control cabinets, there is now a significant need for further development—for example, in the sizing of the busbars.

Up to now: Space and time loss

Because until now, the flat copper bars, arranged at intervals of 60 millimeters, have to be mounted with appropriate holders at project-specific distances depending on the necessary short-circuit strength. However, no assembly components can be mounted at these points. The space loss must already be considered during planning.

Gallery

The Riline-X board can be mounted not only across lined-up control cabinets but also vertically, for example, for IT applications.(Image: Rittal)

Since with Riline-X the copper bars are built directly into the board without special busbar holders, the assembly components can be easily planned and installed continuously. The touch protection is certified according to protection class IP2XB.(Image: Rittal)

In addition, exposed contacts pose a danger. To protect people and technology, plastic covers must be laboriously cut to size before commissioning. This results in waste and plastic waste: on average, each system generates 1.9 kilograms of excess plastic waste from sawing the touch protection covers.

Holder planning was yesterday

With the new Riline-X power distribution platform from Rittal, the cumbersome planning of layout, space loss during component assembly, and sawing of protective covers are a thing of the past.

Since in the new busbar system the copper bars are built directly into the board without special holders, the assembly components can be easily planned and mounted continuously. Complicated sawing is also no longer necessary. The cover remains continuously in the system above the bars from the outset and protects against accidental contact.

The touch protection is certified according to protection class IP2XB, which prevents the ingress of foreign objects with a diameter exceeding 12 millimeters. On the front side, the touch protection can also be extended to protection class IP4XB. This means Rittal protects the system against foreign objects with a diameter of 1 millimeter or more. Contact with fingers is excluded in any case.

Due to its design, Rittal can preliminarily test the entire system for short-circuit strength up to 52.5 kA, so both planners and users can rely on a completely safe solution. Riline-X is suitable for applications in the range up to 1000 V AC as well as for direct current up to ± 1500 V DC.

Up to 50 percent faster in assembly

The solution significantly reduces the processing effort from planning through assembly to maintenance, making plant construction considerably more efficient. This results in engineering savings of up to 30 percent and even up to 50 percent in assembly.

A new click system for boards and components ensures easy installation. This allows modular solutions to be implemented with little effort depending on the project. Thanks to this modularity, the boards are also maintenance-friendly.

Depending on the customer's application, Rittal offers two different approaches to create more flexibility in use. The Riline-X platform is available, on the one hand, as a quick-to-assemble complete board for Rittal AX compact and VX-25 bayed enclosures up to 1,200 millimeters—also preassembled in the cabinet. This makes the board ideal for standard applications where the requirements are already known in advance. Users save costs, increase clarity, and can install the system without special prior knowledge.

Maximum flexibility as an open modular system

However, full design freedom is offered by the version as an open modular kit for individual system construction up to 2.4 meters or even beyond—also flexibly through a baying connection. Users only need the length of the mounting plate and can individually combine the modules in 200-millimeter increments. The drilling pattern remains identical on every Rittal standard mounting plate. Only standard busbars need to be cut for the system. The copper bars are then securely fixed in the board, ensuring short-circuit resistance at all times.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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This version is also available as a kit without rails. Especially for international applications, it is economically and ecologically advantageous not to ship heavy metal to other continents. With Riline-X, the boards can easily be used on site with affordable standard rails made of copper or aluminum in various cross-sections. Even connecting across multiple cabinets is no problem, even later on. In planning, Rittal offers support through the new Ri-Power configurator.

Four-pole into the future

With Riline-X, Rittal is bringing power distribution in control cabinets into the future. Initially, the system will be available as a three-pole solution for current ratings up to 800 amperes. Fully four-pole systems will also be available in the future. Additionally, the platform is suitable for use in DC applications, which play an important role, especially in the field of efficient industrial applications and renewable energies.

By the Hannover Messe 2025, all relevant connection adapters, fuses, disconnectors, and more for the system will be available. Rittal is pursuing a consistent platform approach: manufacturers of devices and components receive the necessary interface data for the development of compatible products free of charge even before the sales start.