Machine Cabling:
The Digital Twin of the Cabling Reduces Material Costs and Increases Productivity
Is your machine cabling being accomplished by trial and error? It doesn’t have to be this way! The digital twin makes it possible to determine exact cable lengths at an early stage in the process and to correctly ordered preassembled cables. With the help of precise instructions, assembly technicians can work using plug-and-play when installing the cables. EPLAN supports you for cabling machines with a 3D CAD system for electrical engineering.
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Trial & Error for Machine Cabling: Can we please make it easier?
What cables do I need? What’s the best way to plan them? How long should they be? Planning the cabling between machines and control cabinets is often quite tedious in your day-to-day work. It isn’t uncommon for it to be carried out without any precise specifications, and the results can be different every single time. This means a lot of material waste is difficult to avoid. Furthermore, there are also annoying surprises such as punchouts or drilled holes that are too small. Since they weren’t considered during the planning phase, slowing down the assembly process. Achieving a uniform appearance for the completed cabling is also out of the question without accurate 3D prototypes.
3D Model of the Machine, Control Cabinet and Complete Cabling
All this is much easier with the right software! Electrotechnical 3D CAD systems such as EPLAN Harness proD make it possible to depict 3D components of machines, the cabling and the associated control cabinets. And it can be accomplished without any training on complex MCAD software. Once the electrical designs are complete, the 3D representation of the cabling can be transferred to a 3D MCAD system. This allows, for instance, collision checks to be run and the electrical design team can quickly clear up any issues as needed. The 3D model can also be used as a virtual prototype during ongoing assembly processes (see the film).
Digital Twin of the Machine Cabling: Advantages for Planning
- Plan and visualise cable routing, drill holes and punchouts
- Determine cable lengths during the planning process
- Order prefabricated cables from the manufacturer long before they will be installed
- Define clear specifications for assembly and clearly depict them
Digital Twin of the Machine Cabling: Advantages for Assembly
- 3D model available as a digital prototype for standardised cabling
- Prefabricated cables can easily be connected
- Trouble-free assembly and customer approval
- Reduced material consumption reduces production costs
Increased Productivity Via Prefabricated Cables
Plan and design components and cabling on a 3D model. Clear specifications and the use of preassembled cables mean installation is easy, even for more inexperienced assembly technicians. With the digital depiction of your cabling, you can precisely determine the material requirements early in the process, which allows orders to quickly be placed for everything that is needed. In addition, EPLAN also has an HTML export feature so that assembly technicians can use a web browser to see directly how the engineers planned for the cables to be installed. This further ensures trouble-free realisation of the installation in which potential problems are recognised and avoided early in the process. This leads to an increased efficiency and higher quality throughout the entire process. “EPLAN Harness proD fundamentally changes the process of machine cabling and enables the efficient use and installation of prefabricated cables,” says EPLAN Product Manager Germany Lukas Menzel.
Increased Productivity Via Prefabricated Cables
Plan and design components and cabling on a 3D model. Clear specifications and the use of preassembled cables mean installation is easy, even for more inexperienced assembly technicians. With the digital depiction of your cabling, you can precisely determine the material requirements early in the process, which allows orders to quickly be placed for everything that is needed. In addition, EPLAN also has an HTML export feature so that assembly technicians can use a web browser to see directly how the engineers planned for the cables to be installed. This further ensures trouble-free realisation of the installation in which potential problems are recognised and avoided early in the process. This leads to an increased efficiency and higher quality throughout the entire process. “EPLAN Harness proD fundamentally changes the process of machine cabling and enables the efficient use and installation of prefabricated cables,” says EPLAN Product Manager Germany Lukas Menzel.
Do you have challenges in engineering and manufacturing of control panels?
Discover your possibilities with EPLAN in control cabinet design. Learn more about the digital twin and automated panel production.
