Precision Conductors Engineered for Eaton’s Medium-Voltage Vacuum Circuit Breakers

Eaton is the leader in efficient, sustainable solutions for critical power management challenges, including re-electrification of energy grids. Further, its engineering team is committed to revolutionizing electrification and digitalization to improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

Eaton needed to outsource an electrical conductor project for their smart circuit breakers for the grid of the future. Because it involved high tonnage diecasting with tin and silver plating for conductivity and corrosion resistance, they turned to MES for help.

“Innovative, sustainable electrification is one of Eaton’s superpowers,” says Brad Layne, MES Sales and Application Engineering Manager, “and providing best-in-class manufacturing and engineered supply chain solutions is ours. From the start of this project in 2018 through our current production runs, the Eaton team has shared how impressed they are with production levels, component quality, and the electrical conductivity and corrosion-resistance MES has achieved.”

Even with a top-notch internal sourcing team in place, Eaton recognized the value of bringing in its long-term partner, MES, to source and manage a diecasting and metal plating supplier while also maintaining a competitive cost structure.

Application: Medium-Voltage VCP-W Vacuum Circuit Breakers

High-precision conductors are integral to the electrical conductivity and efficiency of Eaton’s medium-voltage VCP-W vacuum circuit breaker.

Initial project challenges included:

• Optimal electrical conductivity: MES needed to ensure that the diecast components allow for efficient current flow while also minimizing energy loss and resistance.
• Durability and reliability: These diecast components must be able to withstand the high electrical and thermal stresses typical of medium-voltage applications.
• Corrosion resistance: The conductor die castings must improve longevity and prevent oxidation that can degrade component performance over time.
• Size and complexity of the diecast component: Eaton’s patented flexible conductor system, which is designed to reduce wear and friction, required precision molding design of an extremely large component, defect-free manufacturing, and multiple metal types, including, aluminum, tin, copper, and silver.
• High-tonnage concerns: Scale, materials, and precision are essential to conductor die castings because they must deliver a robust and efficient electrical pathway.
• Cost competitiveness: Cost-effective manufacturing and plating were essential so consideration must be given to the aluminum base material as well as the conductive elements.

Why Eaton Chose MES

Eaton is at the forefront of the electric revolution, including re-electrification of energy grids. Because they develop of power management technologies that support an electrified world, superior conductivity is essential for their electrification applications. As such, Eaton’s exacting specifications for this project called for high-tonnage aluminum diecasting combined with selective tin and silver plating.

“Our die castings are engineered to withstand the high electrical and thermal stresses typical of medium voltage applications, ensuring durability and consistent performance in critical power distribution systems,” explains Layne. “In addition to conductivity and high-pressure, defect-free diecasting, Eaton was looking to increase their volumes twofold year over year. MES has enabled all of it.”

• Collaboration and scalability: MES supported the work of the Eaton in-house sourcing team by taking on the challenge of sourcing a diecasting supplier that specializes in high-tonnage, high-quality manufacturing.

• Nearsourcing: MES secured and developed an ideal domestic partner located not just in North America, but in Eaton’s literal backyard. In addition to enabling on-site quality checks, this enables Eaton to stock larger quantities of the product in their warehouse.
• Engineering: Our die castings are engineered to withstand the high electrical and thermal stresses typical of medium-voltage applications. This helps ensures that MES components deliver robust and reliable performance for critical power distribution systems.

• Precision manufacturing: MES proved its ability to deliver on the tightest tolerances and highest quality surface finishes for conductive pathways, which was critical to this application since precision components are integral to the electrical conductivity and efficiency of the breaker.
• Design precision and material integrity: Our conductor die castings support the VCP-W’s C2 class capacitor switch ratings and maintenance-free vacuum interrupters, both of which are critical for ensuring reliable short-circuit protection and high endurance in industrial and utility applications.
• Quality control: MES’s boots-on-the-ground approach and rigorous quality control and testing helped ensure optimal performance of each diecast component and assembly.
• Plating capabilities: MES sourced a supplier capable of providing a variety of services, including tin plating, bright dip of copper substrates, and selective silver plating on aluminum and copper.
• High-volume processing and automation: The MES solution featured automated systems and equipment coupled with an experienced production team, thereby increasing cycle times and improving the output of high-volume electrical conductors.
• Supply chain integration: MES reduced logistics issues and import costs by delivering a combined solution that casting, machining, plating, and assembly.

Remarkable Results for Eaton Electrification

Eaton’s evolving electrification journey is a testament to the company’s ability to ingenuity, collaboration, and creativity to deliver efficient, reliable, safe, and sustainable solutions for the world’s growing energy needs.

By choosing MES, Eaton not only transformed their operational efficiencies, but they also drove real and impactful change for themselves and their customers.

“Although the results of the Eaton-MES partnership for this project continue to be realized, one thing is certain: MES has the capacity to deliver for Eaton well into the next decade,” says Layne. “We’ve eliminated the backlog, doubled production, and will continue to increase capacity at the rate our customer needs.”

With MES’s help, Eaton has been able to:

• Expand its product portfolio to support its approach in reinventing power distribution, storage, and consumption.
• Cultivate a go-to, long-term supplier relationship with a domestic partner.
• Increase manufacturing output from 3,000 per year to a high volume of 40,000—and counting.
• Eliminate a nearly 1,000-part manufacturing backlog in less than 8 months.
• Save on material costs with high-pressure aluminum diecast components.
• Decrease lead times and eliminate expensive tariffs by shifting to a nearsourcing strategy.
• Achieve superior electrical conductivity without dramatically increasing manufacturing costs.

Find Out How MES Can Help

Fluctuating volumes, tonnage challenges, and supply chain uncertainty all have the potential to make or break a product portfolio like Eaton’s—or yours.

MES’s world-class solutions include global sourcing, supply chain resiliency, and nearshoring strategies that can help differentiate your product and, more importantly, accelerate speed to market.

MES empowers forward-thinking CEOs, CFOs, and CSCOs—including those committed to e-mobility, re-electrification of the energy grid, and energy transition—to keep their production lines moving and their company earnings growing.

Get in touch to learn more about how MES can help with smarter, strategic solutions designed to improve operations, efficiencies, and the all-important bottom line.