Control panels, Autoamatic Grade : Automatic

Inside a switchboard there will be one or more busbars. These are flat strips of copper or aluminum, to which the switchgear is connected. Busbars carry large currents through the switchboard, and are supported by insulators.

The operator is protected from electrocution by safety switches and fuses. There may also be controls for the supply of electricity to the switchboard, coming from a generator or bank of electrical generators, control of AC power and load sharing controls.

Modern industrial switchboards are metal enclosed and of “Single & Double front” construction; no energized parts are accessible when the covers and panels are closed. The metal enclosure of the switchboard is bonded to earth ground for protection of personnel. Large switchboards free-standing floor-mounted enclosures with provision for incoming connections at either the top or bottom of the enclosure. A switchboard may have incoming bus bars or bus duct for the source connection, and also for large circuits fed from the board. A switchboard may include a metering or control compartment separated from the power distribution conductors.