Siemens’ Tips for Panel Builders Series – Part 5: Efficient Control Panel Design with Modular Engineering
October 28, 2020
Modular Engineering
Electrical planning is one of the essential steps in the development of a new machine or production plant. It ensures that all the electrical devices are supplied with power reliably and in compliance with standards. This is an often very complex process that has to be carried out efficiently and as quickly as possible, because it also involves high cost and time pressure. This means that many electrical planners find themselves in the position that they frequently have to look for and implement possible optimizations when they create their wiring diagrams.
Modular engineering is one established and increasingly used method in this regard. With this method, not every wiring diagram needs to be created from scratch and piece by piece from individual symbols each time. Instead, pre-assembled device combinations are used and combined individually.
Tips:
Use original, standardized manufacturer’s data 
Data for the engineering system forms the basis of all planning activities. Correct and comprehensive article data and existing circuit diagram symbols or 3D models enable precise and error-free electrical design. As standard, Siemens provides more than 10 different data types for its components: from internal circuit diagrams to dimension drawings and intelligent 3D data and macros. Your advantage – all the data is structured in the same way. This also enables automated processing that is necessary when wiring diagrams are generated. Download our CAx data from the Industry Mall or the CAx download manager or use the data portal of the E-CAD system you are using. Siemens makes its data available in standard portals such as EPLAN Data Portal, wscaduniverse.com, Traceparts or as a content pack for AutoCAD Electrical.
Use standardized product combinations 
To modularize electrical design it is recommended to also standardize the product portfolio being used. This process will result in different requirements that have to be covered by the products:
- Comprehensive and versatile technical functions
- Global certification
- Checked and tested
Our switching and controling assemblies from the SIRIUS modular system have global certification and also have a modular design.
Rely on complete and combinable engieering modules from Siemens 
Modular engineering enables wiring diagrams to be generated not only a lot quicker, but also fully automatically at the press of a button. To achieve such efficiency advantages it is necessary to create the individual wiring modules that will later be combined to form a complete, whole diagram. Although the additional effort required for creating modules pays off after a short time, you can save all this effort by using our prepared modules. For this purpose, we offer you our first module package for 24 V power supplies. Your advantage – you just choose your required power class and you will get a finished wiring diagram including power supply, fusing elements and recommended conductor cross-sections. You can integrate the module conveniently into your EPLAN project by using drag & drop.
Download the engineering modules for SITOP 24 V power supplies here.
Learn more information here.
