Electrical Engineering
The Centrepiece of EPLAN Engineering
Electrical engineering design is a complex field, particularly as several people are often working in various disciplines on the same project. Electrical engineering data must also be usable for other departments such as order processing and manufacturing. At the same time, electrical engineering is always under time pressure, must deliver on time and always keep an eye on incurred costs. EPLAN offers you an integrated software solution from a single source for efficient electrical engineering across processes.
Overview: Electrical Engineering’s Tasks and Challenges
Electrical engineers are faced with a variety of tasks and challenges that must be mastered every day. EPLAN solutions are always available to support you.
Challenges for Electrical Engineering
Hundreds to thousands of components must be described and designed, numbered and connected to one another with cables and wires. The cable and wires, in turn, must be laid out with cross-sections and lengths and be assigned colours and identifying markers. Schematics are documented across thousands of pages. To keep track of everything, navigating within the diagrams must be ensured by creating cross-references. A digital prototype can be used to support manufacturing control cabinets. Ultimately, the system’s functionality must comply with the specifications and be transportable.
Tasks for Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering comprises a broad range of engineering tasks. They include designing power supplies for actuators, sensors and control technology as well as developing control systems for machines and plant systems. In addition, protective systems against overvoltage and overloads must be developed and the systems need to be earthed. Another important area of activity is creating a variety of documentation, especially schematics to record the connection of the various electrical components. Creating the manufacturing documentation for building the control cabinets that hold the components is yet another daily task. All of this taken together supports users, from commissioning and startup to tasks in service and maintenance.
Bringing Order to Your Engineering
There must be order, even in engineering. Using EPLAN solutions, your work conforms to international codes, standards and guidelines.
Codes in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering must orient itself towards various codes that may vary depending on the place of final delivery. For instance, the IEC 81346 standard applies worldwide for the structuring and labelling of devices. It must be possible to identify all components according to this standard throughout the electrical engineering documentation. This code supports product structuring and can thereby increase the efficiency of engineering processes. Furthermore, the IEC 61355 standard regulates the type of documentation. Additional country-specific standards that apply to electrical engineering documentation include GOST for Russia, GB for China and NFPA in the US.
Device Data in Electrical Engineering
Integrating device data into electrical engineering plans involves many questions: What connections do the devices have and how will they be connected? What technical parameters, dimensions and thermal values do the components have and how much do they weigh? Which codes are supported and how will the ordering system receive all the necessary information? With EPLAN, the answers are simple and clear: using EPLAN Data Portal, you have access to large amounts of high-quality device and component data from a constantly growing pool of manufacturers.
AutomationML (Automation Markup Language)
The international AutomationML data standard enables data consistency across a broad array of software landscapes. For example, it enables the trouble-free exchange of PLC data between ECAD software and PLC programming. Based on the neutral XML data format, you can realise open, bidirectional data exchange.
EPLAN Offers Integrated Solutions for Electrical Engineering
Engineering software for integrated planning and processes in electrical engineering is one of our core skills. Take advantage of our many years of experience and high-quality solutions!
Create Schematics
To simply create schematics in an integrated way, symbols, circuits and connections must be easy to find and easy to use. Cross-references must be quickly managed, navigating through the schematics must be intuitive, and the numbering of the components and connections must be automated. You can realise all of this using EPLAN Electric P8.
Automated Engineering
Ideally schematics can be created automatically – practically at the click of a mouse. This reduces copy-and-paste problems to a minimum and increases your engineering efficiency.
Professionally Create Manufacturing Documentation
Manufacturing documentation should be derivable from the schematics and created automatically. Using EPLAN Pro Panel, you create a digital twin as the foundation for all further steps along your value chain. Together with our affiliate Rittal, we offer integrated solutions for panel building and switchgear system engineering.
Receive High-Quality Device Data
EPLAN Data Portal offers you all the necessary device data as the foundation for your engineering processes.
Schematic Documentation for PLC Programming
With EPLAN, you can seamlessly re-use data from your schematic documents for PLC programming as well as for PLC and BUS systems.
Schematic Documentation for PLC Programming
With EPLAN, you can seamlessly re-use data from your schematic documents for PLC programming as well as for PLC and BUS systems.
