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Complex electrical systems can appear to be pretty incomprehensible and demand detailed scrutiny to follow schematic diagrams and the routing of each of the various channels in a wiring diagram. Spare a thought, then, for those charged with assembling such a project portfolio, where every last component and connection has to be guaranteed to be correct. Fortunately, the process can be largely automated and simplified - using solutions like EPLAN's Electric P8.

WHAT IS P8?
Electric P8 works as a project portfolio (or document) that contains all the relevant information about a particular electrical design project, including schematic diagrams and product documentation, manuals, reports and graphical representations. The software is proven to increase a company's productivity levels by as much as 70% through the automation of time consuming tasks such as wire numbering, device tagging, cross referencing, error checking and report generation.

One of the biggest advantages of using EPLAN Electric P8 is the amount of time that the software saves by simplifying tasks throughout the design process. Unlike traditional CAD systems with regards to how a project is stored, in Electric P8 it is saved as a single product file, rather than as individual documents, creating an immediate advantage for users. By storing a project in this simple format, the need for engineers to spend hours on time consuming and tedious tasks that could delay a project, and in turn increase project delivery times, is removed. Below are two common scenarios that demonstrate the time efficiencies that Electric P8 software provides over CAD systems.

Scenario 1: Inserting pages into a project
The advantages of using EPLAN's P8 are probably better explained by looking at a couple of different scenarios. In the first, a customer requests 4 new pages to be added into a 150 page project document. Using CAD this would usually take an average of 120 hours to do, as each page, device and wire would have to be renumbered with the new page prefix, and all cross references updated. With Electric P8, pages can be inserted quickly and easily, with no need to update cross references as all of the different elements are updated in the project automatically.

Time taken:
CAD 120 hours
EPLAN 1 hour
SAVINGS 119 (99% reduction in time)

Scenario 2: Printing a Project
The second scenario considers the production of a 150 page project that requires printing. With CAD software each page would need to be opened and printed individually. This could take on average 2 minutes per page. With Electric P8, the entire project would be printed in one operation.

Time taken:
CAD 5 hours
EPLAN 0.016 minutes
SAVINGS 4.9 Hours (98.7% reduction in time)

Even with a batch routine that can be set up in CAD to print automatically - this would still take around 2 hours as each page would be opened, printed and closed individually within the batch process!

CREATING DETAILED SCHEMATICS
Detailed schematics can be easily created with Electric P8. EPLAN can either be used to design electrical layouts from scratch, or to build them up from a pre-drawn library of macros. The software allows users to drag & drop components or symbols straight into a page and automatically connect them, using the intelligence that comes with each component to make logical and appropriate connections. Besides importing their attributes, the software initiates a logical numbering sequence, locating each of the components, precisely, in the project or diagram.

Electric P8, therefore, is not just the digital representation of the geometry of a design project, but utilises the information available with each component to verify the function of the design. And because users are able to navigate and to locate particulars of a project with ease, rather than having to search many pages of a document, or even open up files in separate applications, a considerable amount of time and effort is saved. Similarly, the probability of errors being included through the migration and translation of data between different formats and programmes is reduced.

REPORTING AND SHARING DOCUMENTATION
Electric P8 automatically generates detailed reports from the project. These can be created and viewed at any time during the project development. This in turn enables engineers and project managers to share detailed and reliable data at any stage, from continuous product creation to production, assembly, commissioning, servicing and maintenance.

Electric P8 can also import or export standard file formats such as DWG (DraWinG) and DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) to store 2D and 3D dimensional design data.

One aspect that is entirely unique to EPLAN software is its intelligent PDF capability. Besides being able to update components and drawings from a single point of entry, if held in a single PDF document, each item can be located by clicking on one representation (of a component). This makes it an ideal medium for technical and maintenance manuals, especially if the interactive 3D capabilities of Adobe Acrobat are used.

THE EPLAN DATA PORTAL
Electric P8 integrates with the EPLAN Platform, which is a centralised database. This facility enables the software to work alongside other EPLAN systems such as the EPLAN Data Portal, a web based document library holding supplier and manufacturer product information that can be easily added in any project.

The EPLAN Data Portal provides users with access to over 375,000 component and device data that is controlled and managed by around 60 leading industry manufacturers. During the design process engineers can easily import data directly from vendor catalogues by drag & drop. The database also generates a Bill Of Materials (BOM), which facilitates bidding processes with ready-made calculations.

Regardless of industry, a comprehensive and modern CAE software solution like Electric P8 will benefit any company engaging in electrical design engineering. It will help to increase productivity by allowing more time to be spent on the design of a project rather than the management of one, and with a solution like Electric P8 companies know they are staying ahead of the competition.

ABOUT EPLAN
A subsidiary of Rittal, within the Friedhelm Loh conglomerate, EPLAN UK is a leader in computer aided (CAE) software. For 30 years the company has been developing innovative solutions for an array of engineering and industrial manufacturing disciplines. The company boasts 600 employees, 40,000 customers and 100,000 licensed installations worldwide.
www.eplan.co.uk