The competitive pressure in control and switchgear manufacturing is high and the availability of skilled workers is limited. In order to remain highly competitive, many companies are striving to automate and simplify processes. For example, control cabinets are designed in 3D, cable lengths are calculated automatically and machine mounting plates are processed. Standardized component data is indispensable for such efficient processes. A look at practice illustrates this:
In an average control cabinet, there are around 500 connections for the control technology, with different colors, cross-sections and assemblies. Preparing and wiring all the connections by hand takes an average of four minutes per wire - too much to keep up with the competitive pressure. Modern production facilities obtain the wires prefabricated by machines. Among other things, they save on manual cutting to length and assembly.

But how does the machine know which connections are present in detail? The answer lies in the digital image of the control cabinet. To do this, all components were selected in the engineering department, represented in the circuit diagram in terms of electrical engineering and then built in 3D in the control cabinet. The connection points and designations of the components are already described in the 3D layout. Using this component data, the electrical designer can output the colors, lengths and wiring destinations of the connections at the touch of a button and transfer them to the machine.

Data quality increases

The 'Eplan Data Portal' bundles data from around 300 international manufacturers. This component data forms the basis for the digital twin, which is now almost indispensable in the product life cycle. Until now, however, the manufacturer was free to decide what depth of data to make available in the 'Data Portal' - and this was precisely where the challenge lay in the application. If data records were missing or incomplete, the user had to take action themselves: They then had to draw circuit diagram and logic macros or laboriously search for commercial data from the component manufacturers' portals.
Eplan has therefore now defined a data standard that comprises a complete Eplan data set. With such optimized, standardized data sets, complete parts lists can be created, for example, or the control cabinet weight can be reliably calculated using defined weight specifications.

Rittal is one of the pioneers of the new Eplan Data standard; therefore, the complete data for numerous items such as the AE compact enclosures is already integrated.

© Eplan

The 'Eplan Data Standard' defines which descriptive documents and macros are required in order to simplify and automate processes in (pre-)planning, engineering, production and maintenance. The complete data set includes function template and logic macro, graphic representation, drilling patterns, connection diagrams and commercial data such as article number, product designation, etc. A function template for a contactor, for example, defines which connection is for the 24 V auxiliary contact and which is for the 230 V main contact, to name just one example. The logic macros represent the functional representation in the circuit and fluid diagram.

Advantage for users: The effort is considerably reduced because the system saves this standardized data directly in the Eplan article management. A certain logic in the working method makes project planning more transparent overall.
In addition, the completeness of the data ensures further use in the process - for example for drilling mounting plates, wire end treatment or cable assembly. The user only needs to enter individual company-related data - such as an SAP number or purchasing conditions. The result is high data quality, combined with greater efficiency in project planning, enclosure design and production. If the corresponding Eplan solutions are used - such as 'Eplan Electric P8', 'Eplan Pro Panel' in conjunction with the 'Eplan eBuild' cloud software - the engineering process can be automated to a large extent.

Practical requirements taken into account

From version 2.9 Service Pack 1 of Eplan, the 'Eplan Data Portal' can be found directly in the cloud area of 'Eplan ePulse'.

© Eplan

The company Alexander Bürkle has been involved in the development of the 'Eplan Data Standard'. Its Managing Director Klemens Isenmann explains: "Standardization is not an easy task; the more manufacturers are involved, the more difficult it is to agree on unique component designations, for example. However, it is precisely this unambiguousness that is essential for digital consistency."

Ripploh Elektrotechnik also belongs to the group of control and switchgear manufacturers who have contributed their ideas to the development of the data standard. For Managing Director Andreas Ripploh, a data standard is an absolute must: "For routing, for example, we need to know exactly where the connection coordinates are, how many connection coordinates a component has and which wire cross-sections we use to enter a component. Unambiguous component data is a prerequisite for building a partially or fully automated control cabinet. This requires a clear structure that defines, for example, how I store a numerical value. The international article number in the 'Eplan Data Portal' is such a unique value, which also flows directly into the parts list." Automation and industrialization in switchgear manufacturing are only possible if you can rely on data - and don't have to check how well it is maintained. And if switchgear manufacturing is to be supported by robot technology in the future, complete, clearly structured data will be all the more important.

Intuitive search function

Birgit Hagelschuer is press officer at Eplan Software & Service in Monheim am Rhein.

© Eplan

In addition to the creation of the data standard, Eplan is also presenting a new version of the 'Eplan Data Portal'. An intuitive search function has been integrated into the portal, which has a new user interface, and all standardized articles are marked with the Eplan Data Standard logo. The new data standard has already been implemented with the first manufacturers: Companies such as ifm, Lapp, Lenze, Rittal, Phoenix Contact, Puls, SEW-Eurodrive, Wago, Weidmüller and Wieland are among the pioneers. The first product configurators - for example from Bosch Rexroth, Endress+Hauser and Rittal - are also linked.

The developers at Eplan are currently working on a suggestion function that will expand the search. A connection to the cloud-based software for generating circuit and fluid diagrams 'eBuild' is also planned. For component manufacturers, there will be an extension to the established options for data provision: As a first step, Eplan will offer manufacturers the option of importing corresponding eCl@ss files in future through the 'eCl@ss Advanced' standard. These can then be automatically transferred into standardized Eplan data.