Automate the engineering process

Eplan

Lukas Dehling, 18.11.2016, 14:05

Automate the engineering process

At SPS IPC Drives 2016, Eplan presented a solution for automated circuit diagram generation. Dieter Pesch, Head of Product Management & Development at Eplan Software & Service, reveals what's behind the new software.

Dieter Pesch: "We are making the software available free of charge for a certain period of time at the start. This allows users to see the application for themselves using their own examples."

Mr. Pesch, what is your new solution all about?
Dieter Pesch: Automation solutions in the field of configuration-based engineering are often considered complex, difficult and associated with a high level of rule knowledge. A great deal of experience and even more expert knowledge is required here. The new solution, which Eplan plans to make available in the spring of next year, is designed to break down barriers to entry. No matter how users structure their projects: He can start at any point on the basis of existing macros.

Macros form the basis for the automatic generation of circuit diagrams. The set of rules is now in the system and not in people's heads. It comprises Eplan macros, higher-level organizational structures - so-called typicals, pre-definable and storable configurations and options based on variables linked to logical operators. The user does not need anyprior knowledge ofconfiguration or variant management - just the knowledge of macro technologythat is standard nowadays.

What prerequisites do companies need to get started?

Dieter Pesch: A prerequisite is the use of the Eplan platform with the 'Eplan Electric P8' software. Our new software is fully embedded in the platform to make data handling simple and consistent.

What distinguishes your software from the previous 'EEC One' solution and from other configuration solutions on the market?

Dieter Pesch : The new solution no longer uses Excel as the front end for operating or creating sets of rules. The user is guided step-by-step through the structure of their own product ranges in an intuitive interface. They save these structures in sets of rules - so-called configurators - which are then made available in an automatically generated user interface. The special feature: Visual Basic or programming skills are not required to create in-depth sets of rules. The new solution is also characterized by simple data storage, compliance with norms and standards and easy administration, as all data is stored in a library.

How high do you estimate the savings potential compared to the classic way of working with copy & paste or macros?

Dieter Pesch : With the previous configuration solutions, we can achieve traditional time savings of 30 to50% in electrical engineering, and these figures will certainly be achieved by the new software. However, thanks to the changed, much simpler concept, we see a significantly shorter lead time from introduction to productive use.

How do you support users during implementation?

Dieter Pesch: For example, with the classic classroom seminar, in which we teach how the software works over three days. There will also be regular webinars with examples of best practices. Another option is the new product structuring seminar, which provides a deeper understanding of function-oriented working methods.

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