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Engineering processes are constantly subjected to increasing demands and more complex implementation parameters. In order to remain competitive, companies are forced to develop and launch products in ever shorter time periods. But a new engineering method is now clearing the way for greater standardization - and forging new ways to work.
In the era of global business, teams that are often geographically separated or even in different countries are working together on projects. As a result, workflows have to interface smoothly with consistent information. But even for central project planning, constant data synchronization of the individual engineering phases and disciplines is a vital aspect of a project's success.
Former sequential engineering processes
A sequential flow can clearly be seen when looking at conventional project or order processing, where the individual disciplines like mechanical, electrical and software engineering all work up their own project plans. Every discipline bases its planning on the results of the previous design. This sequential process is heavily project- and contract-specific when it comes to organizing the workflow.
Designers often try to accelerate the engineering process by using existing project data. In doing so, new projects are pasted together from existing project documentation. The copied documents then have to be manually adapted to the requirements of the current project.
Regarding cost, time and quality, this approach provides very minimal and sluggish improvements to the actual engineering process. There is a risk that errors from old projects will be transferred into the new projects and once again cause problems. Another handicap is that employees will access differing old projects. A standardized, high-quality base of data can hardly be established this way. Indeed, in the short term copying old projects can lead to quick results. But the negative effects will appear in later phases, such as commissioning, and result in high consequential costs and loss of time.
Innovative engineering is functional
EPLAN Engineering Center (EEC) is a trendsetting engineering solution based on functional modules. The modules contain mechatronics components that exclusively possess defined, proven and tested functions. Every component thus provides the necessary discipline-specific information (mechanical, electrical, fluid power, software, etc.). If you are planning a new plant, these components form the foundation for compiling all of the required information for a machine or system. From this centralized, interdisciplinary configuration (functional description), all of the records required for production and documentation are generated on an order-specific basis. This might be, for example, a complete CAE documentation package, an EPLAN project, a PLC program for S7 and CoDeSys programs, or a complete machine manual. Functions like the script and formula language can help define dependencies and rules for designing or selecting components, and automate the calculation of PLC addresses.
This process differs from conventional sequential processes in that the system generates all of the required project documentation. The user thus gets the design drawing, the appropriate schematic, the fluid schematic, and the PLC programming. Order-specific costs (previously manually generated) are now generated automatically and therefore drastically reduced.
Working methods change
The designer no longer has to think in sensors, actuators or program components, but rather in functional units. Central, structured access to all relevant information, combined with comprehensive evaluations (e.g. proof of use for modules) brings transparency to this process. Harmonized terminology and defined structures open the doors to standardization. By giving components parameters, they can then be individually used in different projects. The advantage: Modules are clearly structured and contain all of the vital features that will later be used in interdisciplinary engineering. Data quantities remain manageable while the options for variants are unlimited. At the end of project planning, the configuration created contains a completely functional description of the machine or system.
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