Control cabinet wiring - it can be a tricky, time, and cost consuming part of cabinet design. An added benefit of Pro Panel Professional, the engineering solution for design and construction of control cabinets, switchboards, and flexible power distribution systems, is incorporating EPLAN Smart Wiring, to make wiring installation on the factory floor easy and error free.
The app, which can be loaded onto any Windows device, brings digital data access to what can be the most daunting aspects of building control cabinets. Let’s take a look at four headaches this application can solve.
Plagued with Paper
With legacy design, paper-based documentation is used to assemble the cabinet. In order to wire a panel, a wiring diagram is followed. This poses inherent problems to the process. Changes in design, a common occurrence, require updates to the schematics. If a previous version of the schematics is being used on the shop floor, it can lead to errors, and time loss.
Utilizing a paper-based system means making changes manually on the diagram, making the documentation nearly incomprehensible over time. Crossing out old data for updates and erasures, will create confusion years from now when the panel breaks down and service needs to be performed. Unclear paper documentation is difficult to work with unless the technicians working on it have a lot of experience, and relying on this type of “tribal knowledge” brings its own set of problems.
Because wiring between devices can be found across multiple schematics, it isn’t uncommon for those completing the wiring to have to look across several sets of wiring diagrams to place the wires correctly. They must then draw on the schematic to show completion of wiring connections, another inefficient method that can lead to errors.
The browser based EPLAN Smart Wiring eliminates these issues by providing a paperless environment and efficient interface which assemblers can work within quickly and easily. The documentation comes straight from the schematics, with changes to documentation kept up to date via a simple syncing process. A 3D visualization of the cabinet with devices and wiring diagrams included, makes visual identification of wiring placement straightforward. As each wire is placed, technicians can show completion with a touch, making tracking of job progression simple and reliable.
Labor Costs
The level of expertise needed for wiring installation is in direct proportion to how clearly the process is detailed. When you are strictly using text sheets or paper diagrams, having highly experienced electricians, with knowledge of wiring and panel building, is essential. Of course, that kind of expertise comes at a high price.
With EPLAN Smart Wiring, the simplicity of the system and user friendly graphical interface, allows even a novice in cabinet wiring to assemble as if they were an experienced installer. This gives companies the ability to scale their resources optimally, saving significantly on labor costs.
Last Minute Project Changes
Inevitably, there will be changes made to the design and, consequently, to the wiring configuration. With traditional CAD systems, the transmission of these changes to the factory floor can be haphazard resulting in time lost and a higher degree of errors in production.
Changes to the design in Pro Panel Professional are easily synced with the Smart Wiring application, resulting in a cleaner panel building process.
Time
Nowhere does the phrase “time is money” translate better than in manufacturing. The simple, clear, and touch-optimized user interface, step-by-step instructions for the panel builder, and easy project updates means a more efficient production process.
A recent case study, where identical projects were performed using traditional software and Pro Panel Professional with the Smart Wiring application, found that production time was decreased by 70%. This dramatic time savings means faster delivery and cost reductions… a very real competitive advantage.
To learn more about EPLAN Pro Panel and the Smart Wiring application, contact EPLAN.
