CBI Electric: Australia releases an Australian-designed and -manufactured modular switchboard system, distribution board and new MCBs to 600 V and Type B RCDs

With the introduction of the AS/NZS 61439 switchboard standard, CBI Electric: Australia saw the need to have our own switchboard system to complement the already established distribution boards regularly sold throughout Australia. Working closely with an engineering partner, the goal was to achieve an Australian-designed and -made switchboard system. The outcome was the introduction of the Outmod and Hymod modular switchboard systems.

Outmod and Hymod switchboards

Designed and built in Victoria, Outmod is an outdoor modular assembly where the main frame is a solid structure with all other configurations within the enclosure being modular. Back and side panels are removable for ease of wiring and bus work. Hymod follows the same configuration as the Outmod system; only the back and side panels are of solid construction.

Outmod and Hymod are verified to AS/NZS 61439 series and have an ingress protection (IP) rating of IP55 standard and IP56 available on request. The Outmod/Hymod boards also have a unique busbar assembly called Insulbus, which has verification testing to 50 kA.

To complement Hymod and Outmod, CBI has also tested and verified many of its existing distribution boards while introducing a new range, ADVANTAGE PLUS, to the existing ADVANTAGE range. ADVANTAGE PLUS has passed ingress testing to IP56 — this addition gives our distribution board offering classifications of IP52 to IP66 depending on the application.

At CBI Electric: Australia, we have our own branded switchgear, in-house estimating, drafting, project management, and switchboard manufacturing on the same premises, making the delivery of projects easier for our customers as they only have to deal with one central office.

Heinemann Electric t/a CBI Electric have operated in the project switchboard build space for over 50 years — now, with our own switchboard system Hymod and Outmod, everything is controlled by one team.

A variety of circuit breakers

The CBI range includes circuit breakers for equipment, miniature circuit breakers, moulded case circuit breakers, air circuit breakers and auxiliary products to protect installations and equipment against overload, short circuit and earth leakage protection.

These circuit breakers suit residential, industrial, communications, and power distribution applications. Two years ago we introduced a full comprehensive range of circuit protection and accessories under the brand SFR and released the first 54 mm 3 phase 3 pole RCBO.

Heinemann Electric Pty Ltd (now trading as CBI-electric: Australia) was established in Australia in 1959. CBI Electric has been an integral part of the electrical industry, and today the company is one of the largest manufacturers of circuit breakers in the world with our manufacturing plant in Johannesburg, South Africa.

CBI Electric manufactures circuit breakers that use the Hydraulic Magnetic operating principle as opposed to Thermal Magnetic, the benefits of which are the MCB or RCBO will always carry 100% of the rated current and is unaffected by ambient temperatures, which in simple terms means there is no derating of the breaker. The advantages of this technology in our breakers were evident when we conducted numerous heat rise tests to AS/NZS 61439, allowing board configurations to achieve a full 250A rating with no diversity factor.

Residential off-grid battery storage is on the rise in Australia. At CBI Electric: Australia, we developed a safe battery isolation solution that complies with AS/NZS 5139 and does away with the bulky and dangerous fuse switches by providing a compact MCB solution in a weatherproof IP67 enclosure.

Type B RCD

CBI Electric: Australia has also launched new products to meet the industry’s ever-developing challenges. One such product is the new 1P+N and 3P+N 30mA 63A Type B RCD. Harmonics can cause earth leakage devices to nuisance trip when installed in circuits where variable speed drives (VSDs) are used. These products are also ideal for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations when used in conjunction with an upstream MCB for circuits rated up to 63A, providing overload, short circuit and earth leakage protection. This is one of many new products in our expanding SFR range which included the world’s first three pole three phase RCBO.

Due to the increasing need for remote monitoring of circuits, CBI Electric also launched a remote actuating unit (RAU) to complement our DD frame sub miniature circuit breakers for equipment. The RAU is a factory-fitted module capable of remotely turning DD frame breakers on/off. It also has the capability to send a status signal, making it perfect for deployment to remote locations by saving valuable resources and money, which would be required if technician(s) were required to visit a remote site.

MCBs

With PDU space being at a premium, CBI Electric has launched a low current, high voltage 13 mm DIN mount Y frame MCB. With Australian and IEC certification, the Y frame MCBs are the perfect addition to rack-mounted PDUs with various configurations that allow up to 600 VDC.

CBI Electric: Low Voltage head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, has its own third-party certified 65kA test lab. This allows us to conduct a variety of strenuous tests on our products, including but not limited to cascade, vibration and other verification tests.

Continuous research, development and innovation through experience have kept CBI Electric at the forefront of cutting-edge technological developments. You can look to CBI Electric for a complete solution for your next build.