Mr. Weber, why is the tool interesting for which user groups?
Our tool is a good aid for designers who want to design and optimize their system. They can use it to check at an early stage whether the line installations will actually work as planned. When developing a new machine or system, the tool can be used to answer many questions during the design phase - for example: How long can the cables between a distributor and a device be? When does the supply voltage fall below the minimum value of 20.4 V? Calculating voltage drops can quickly become a complex matter when planning a system. This is often the case with networked systems with long distances. Schmersal 's 'System Engineering Tool' saves the user time and money. After all, if they only discover late in the design process that the voltage drop is too high, for example, the necessary corrections can be very time-consuming and costly. The tool is also a support for our sales department because it improves and speeds up the process of preparing quotations. An initial parts list can already be created during the rough design phase. Based on this parts list, our sales field service can make an offer to the user and also visualize the desired configuration and the offer with topological illustrations. This makes it easier for our customers to make a decision.

How exactly does the tool work and which planning parameters can be taken into account?
The selected installation systems, the desired safety switching devices - for example solenoid interlocks, safety sensors and control panels - as well as the cables used are dragged and dropped onto a PC screen and compiled into a virtual structure. The tool then calculates the supply voltage that still arrives at each device, depending on the current consumption, cable length and cable cross-section, and evaluates this according to a traffic light system. If, for example, the supply voltage falls below the minimum value of 20.4 V, the display switches from green to yellow; if it is less than 19.5 V, it switches to red. Red means that the design is not functional. The system then makes suggestions such as 'Reduce the cable length' or 'Increase the voltage'. The tool also provides the user with a parts list with the required distributors, cables and devices. These components can also be ordered via the Schmersal webshop.

Is it possible to forward the parts list directly to the web store?
That would of course be possible in principle, but in practice it would restrict the user's planning freedom and make it more difficult. This is because we have over 100 device variants for many components, such as the solenoid interlock 'AZM201'. This means that the designer would have to define the variant precisely in order to trigger an automatic order.

However, this is not even necessary at this rough planning stage. The aim here is to determine which components are required and in what quantities, and to check whether the design is functional. With the rough planning, the designer can contact our sales department and obtain advice on which specific device variant is best suited to his planning.