OT: panel builders, how do you cut din rail?

Aabeck · Dec 8, 2018

geniusintraining said:
Siemens rail is made from aluminum and I do have a couple compound miter saws that that works perfect on them

I stopped using aluminum rail because it can not be used to run a ground through it, and my 'habit' is to use ground terminals instead of DIN anchors.

I did see a promotion a few years back that one company was giving away a DIN rail shear free with every order of 5,000 steel rails. That would be nice, but a 125 year supply of rails for me.

JZerb · Dec 8, 2018

Milwaukee M12 bandsaw. belt sander or right angle with a grey roloc disc to clean up the cut.

ASF · Dec 9, 2018

We use the phoenix style cutter as well. Can't recommend it highly enough. No measuring, you can smash out a dozen pieces in under a minute, and there's no sharp edges or clean up required.

If you're building more than about one panel a month, 100% worth the investment

dploof23 · Dec 10, 2018

cyoung120 said:
This is what we use. Works great.

https://www.phoenixcontact.com/onli...25-02-05/47af3dd6-3456-4641-814c-661f588ee3b7

I also use this.....works awesome. Pricey, but we got lucky and found a used one on ebay.

lesmar96 · Dec 10, 2018

Thanks all for your input. We build numbers of panels a month. And some go for OEM where we do a whole batch of exactly the same panel. So I think one with a stop-gauge would be very helpful.

At this point we use a chop saw and a grinder to clean up the edges and that is too time-consuming.

Contr_Conn · Dec 10, 2018

So I think one with a stop-gauge would be very helpful.

Phoenix cutter that we have has a stop gauge. I just don't know if it was retrofitted or was like this originally. It looks like a one device to me.

Archie · Dec 10, 2018

A dry cut saw beats a chop saw or band saw in speed and clean cut by a lot. After cutting, the metal is not hot nor has burrs to clean off. It's nearly as good as a machined cut. I have used a Milwaukee dry cut for about 10 years. I see Milwaukee discontinued that saw, but a couple other companies make them such as Dewalt or Evolution:

https://www.dewalt.com/products/pow...ti-cutter-saws/14-355mm-multicutter-saw/dw872

There are many videos on YouTube showing the dry cut saw such as this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kog4J6KL-tM

A nice feature is the same saw can be used to cut plastic wireway and covers. I even use it to cut angle iron, square tubing, aluminum, PVC pipe, etc

lunenburger · Dec 10, 2018

Wow Archie, that dry cut saw is awesome... I have been working in industrial plants for 15 years and I have never seen one.

dogleg43 · Dec 10, 2018

Aabeck said:
I stopped using aluminum rail because it can not be used to run a ground through it, and my 'habit' is to use ground terminals instead of DIN anchors.

What’s wrong with using aluminum dinrail as a ground?

Aabeck · Dec 10, 2018

During an inspection of a panel a few years ago I was told code does not allow running grounds through aluminum rails, and had to replace all the rails in the panel to get it approved.

Also, for some reason, the mounting screws of the rail can not be used for a grounding - there has to be one more screw with a lockwasher added for the ground. I asked what if I put a mounting screw in every slot of the rail and was told that wouldn't male a difference - none of them could be used for the ground.

I also had to add bonding straps between every part of the enclosure. Bolting a side to the frame with steel screws doesn't ground it good enough.

Gomez_ · Dec 10, 2018

dogleg43 said:
What’s wrong with using aluminum dinrail as a ground?

Aabeck said:
Also, for some reason, the mounting screws of the rail can not be used for a grounding - there has to be one more screw with a lockwasher added for the ground. I asked what if I put a mounting screw in every slot of the rail and was told that wouldn't male a difference - none of them could be used for the ground.

I also had to add bonding straps between every part of the enclosure. Bolting a side to the frame with steel screws doesn't ground it good enough.

For reference the relevant part of NFPA 79:

8.1.3 "Mounting hardware shall not be used for terminating conductors used for grounding or bonding."

Sort of like don't run your neutral through ground, don't run your ground through mounting hardware.

lesmar96 · Dec 11, 2018

Contr_Conn said:
Phoenix cutter that we have has a stop gauge. I just don't know if it was retrofitted or was like this originally. It looks like a one device to me.

Yes, it looks like the Phoenix cutter does have an option for a stop gauge, which would be great. The distributor told me Phoenix contact is giving out free cutters if you buy 500 2-meter sticks of din-rail.

Archie said:
A dry cut saw beats a chop saw or band saw in speed and clean cut by a lot. After cutting, the metal is not hot nor has burrs to clean off. It's nearly as good as a machined cut. I have used a Milwaukee dry cut for about 10 years. I see Milwaukee discontinued that saw, but a couple other companies make them such as Dewalt or Evolution:

https://www.dewalt.com/products/pow...ti-cutter-saws/14-355mm-multicutter-saw/dw872

There are many videos on YouTube showing the dry cut saw such as this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kog4J6KL-tM

A nice feature is the same saw can be used to cut plastic wireway and covers. I even use it to cut angle iron, square tubing, aluminum, PVC pipe, etc

Thanks, Archie. I was not familiar with the term dry cut saw before and I don't think i ever saw anything like it. Definitely be another option, I will check into.

OT: panel builders, how do you cut din rail?

Aabeck

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