What software is eplan?

EPLAN is a professional electrical computer-aided design software that can realize the creation and management of electrical projects, sharing of files and patterns, etc., through highly flexible design methods and avoiding repeated input of data. Engineering time and costs are greatly reduced. eplan is a computer-aided engineering CAE tool in the electrical field. The software is powerful and flexible in operation. Users need to have professional electrical background and design experience, so it is difficult to get started and even harder to master.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 10 system, Dell G3 computer.

EPLAN introduction

EPLAN is a professional electrical computer-aided design software. It is a professional automatic design software specially created for electrical workers. Design software can realize the creation and management of electrical projects, sharing of files and patterns, etc. It can greatly reduce engineering time and costs through highly flexible design methods and avoiding repeated input of data.

eplan is a true computer-aided engineering CAE tool in the electrical field. The software is powerful and flexible in operation. Users need to have professional electrical background and design experience. The purpose of eplan software development is "Designed by engineers, for Engineer Services”.

Software Development

EPLAN software launched its first version in 1984. After more than 30 years of continuous improvement, it has developed into a well-known electrical design company renowned in the field of European and American electrical design. Software-EPLAN 5. EPLAN 5 uses a graphics-based design method. In order to adapt to the double-byte language operating system in the Asia-Pacific region, EPLAN launched EPLAN 5's sister product-EPLAN 21 in the late 1990s. It is an object-based design method. Domestic customers used this version in the early days. With the development of computer software and hardware technology, EPLAN 5 and EPLAN 21 stopped development in 2006, and they were merged into the latest version EPLAN Electric P8.

EPLAN Electric P8 function introduction

EPLAN Electric P8 absorbs the advantages of EPLAN 5 and EPLAN 21 , and combines the operating styles of Windows and AutoCAD to give users a better operating experience. EPLAN Electric P8 uses Unicode technology and can normally display Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other languages ​​around the world without installing additional programs.

Because the operating system already has corresponding fonts, whether users prefer graphic design or object-based design, they can quickly get started and use it skillfully, and the data accumulated in the past on EPLAN 5 and EPLAN 21 can be used Can be successfully migrated to the new EPLAN Electric P8. In addition, EPLAN software has evolved from the original single electrical design software to a CAE tool with the same engineering data management platform. In addition to electrical design, EPLAN Fluid allows you to quickly design pneumatic, hydraulic and other fluid diagrams, EPLAN PPE allows you to quickly design P&ID diagrams and field instrument diagrams, and EPLAN Cabinet can be used when designing electrical control cabinets. In addition to the 3D intuitive view, it can also provide functions such as automatic wiring and automatic wire length statistics. EPLAN ESG (Schematic Generator) changes the work of electrical engineers from the original drawing-based to the design-based. These software modules have the same database as EPLAN Electric P8. Data information in electrical design can be transferred to other software, or to other third-party software or third-party systems (such as ERP, PDM, etc.). At the same time, the software The data information, such as cable length, installation base plate size, terminal label, etc., can be directly transmitted to the corresponding processing equipment, and the mechanical equipment completes the work of cable cutting and numbering, terminal label printing, etc. that were previously done manually.

EPLAN Electric P8 is available in three different user versions:

• EPLAN Electric P8 Trial Version): Suitable for new users to try software operations and functions. It can be used for 30 days. The drawings are watermarked when printing.

• EPLAN Electric P8 Education (education version): suitable for school students or various colleges and universities, can be used for 30 days, and the functions are incomplete.

• EPLAN Electric P8: This is the official commercial version, which is divided into 3 versions. Different versions have different functions and different prices: Simple Edition, Standard Edition, and Professional Edition.

#What is the difference between CAD and Eplan?

EPlan is a professional electrical drawing software. It is harder to get started than CAD and even harder to master. However, EPlan is easier to use than CAD, and the drawings drawn by EPlan can be converted into DWG files and PDFs. When making drawings for large projects, the overall planning advantages of the drawings come out.

Domestic general CAD has accumulated a large number of CAD modules over a long period of time, so that CAD can now do electrical design very quickly, but EPlan is a professional electrical design software, and the drawings of large domestic and foreign companies, such as Schneider and Yazaki, are all EPlan Most of the people in China now use CAD mainly because of the inertia formed over a long period of time. Many middle-aged and elderly engineers are unwilling to learn new software.

In fact, it depends on personal habits and the company's environment. Once you are used to it, it will be similar.

But in terms of the software itself, EPLAN software is better. Let’s take a closer look at the comparison:

1. Standardized design

CAD: The degree of standardization is low, and the schematic diagrams drawn by different engineers are very different

EPLAN: promotes the concept of standardization and relies on symbols, frames, tables, component libraries, dictionaries and various rule settings to achieve standardized documents that keep up with the international pace

2. Symbols

CAD: Manually drawn, not standard or unified

EPLAN: Standard symbol library, call directly

3. Drawing connections

CAD: Manual drawing

EPLAN: Automatic generation

4. Cross-page association/symbol association

CAD: Manual statistics, error-prone, difficult to modify, time-consuming

EPLAN: Automatically generated, time-saving and error-free

5. Jump function

CAD: You can only flip through the associated targets based on the location of the jump page.

EPLAN: As long as you press the shortcut key, you can easily achieve the link between the associated targets. Jump

6. Modular design

CAD: The module under CAD is just a graphic and has no electrical properties

EPLAN: Macro technology can be used , make macro variables with electrical parameters for typical circuits. By selecting a certain parameter, you can realize functions such as selection of the entire circuit

7. Picture frame

CAD: No automatic function, blank pages need to be reserved, manually adding page numbers is difficult to modify, and the work is heavy when adding or subtracting schematics

EPLAN: It has the function of automatically collecting project information, page number and page name information All can be automatically generated and modified easily

8. Translation

CAD: CAD drawings cannot automatically translate project information, which is very inconvenient for international projects

EPLAN: EPLAN uses the integrated dictionary to translate the project into several languages ​​such as English, German, French and Russian

9. Electrical logic of drawing

CAD: just manual Draw a circuit without electrical logic

EPLAN: Symbols have extremely rich electrical properties, and the circuit has functions such as signal tracking and potential tracking

10, electrical equipment number

CAD: Manually written, easy to repeat

EPLAN: It has a series of automatic numbering functions such as equipment number, cable number, terminal number, and plug number

11, wire number

CAD: Manually written, easy to repeat

EPLAN: Automatically number according to potential and other naming methods to avoid duplicate numbers, and can also reflect wire diameter and color in the report through relevant settings and other information

12. Model selection

CAD: Turn over the sample and use office software to make a list

EPLAN, parts library selection, component list Automatic generation

13. Wiring diagram

CAD: drawn by hand. When the schematic diagram changes, the wiring diagram needs to be modified manually, which is time-consuming and error-prone

EPLAN: Automatically generated. After the project is changed, just refresh, the wiring diagram will be automatically changed, timely and accurate

14, various report information

CAD: Office software production

EPLAN: EPLAN can automatically generate a total of 27 reports with different contents

15. Interaction of project information

CAD: between CAD and Office There is no interaction. When the design changes, the related documents cannot be changed in time, which is prone to errors, and project information cannot be imported and exported from each other

EPLAN: You can related projects such as cables, plugs, terminals, electrical components, PLC, etc. Information can be imported and exported with EXCEL to achieve two-way editing and accuracy

16. Terminal design

CAD: The amount of information is large, statistics is difficult, the design cannot be very detailed, and manual Difficulty in operation

EPLAN: EPLAN has a good interface with Phoenix’s ClipProject and Wago’s SmartDesign. Third-party software can be used for more accurate and detailed selection and terminal strip production

17. Two-dimensional electrical cabinet design

CAD: It is not easy to accurately determine the size of components for the layout of electrical cabinets. It is easy for the cabinet to be improperly designed due to the size of the components, resulting in a large amount of labor. big.

EPLAN: Call component dimensions from the component library and drag them directly to the electrical cabinet mounting plate. The position is precise and is conducive to the design of electrical cabinet openings.

18. Three-dimensional electrical cabinet design

CAD: Unable to consider the three-dimensional size of components in the electrical cabinet and position interference

EPLAN: EPLAN's Cabinet can realize the three-dimensional design of electrical cabinets, which is more intuitive and vivid (goal)

19. ERP system interface

CAD: Unable to realize

EPLAN : Can be associated with ERP (target)

20. Electrical software and hardware interface

CAD: Cannot link software and hardware design together;

EPLAN : EPLAN can configure PLC-related information in the project drawings, such as PLC address definition, bus form, bus address, etc., so that it can be seamlessly connected with programming software such as Step7.

21. Cross-professional interface

CAD: Several mechanical CAD drawings may be used. The advantage is that more than 100 schematic drawings can be placed in one frame;

EPLAN: 1. Mechanical CAD drawings can be imported; 2. EPLAN platform It has electrical software P8, hydraulic software Fluid, instrument software PPE, and electrical cabinet drawing Cabinet. Due to the shared database, seamless connection of cross-professional project interface issues is achieved.

22. PDF document

CAD: The PDF exported by CAD cannot be jumped and needs to be read back and forth, which is inconvenient to use

EPLAN: It can be easily Click to jump to the page and related targets, for on-site maintenance personnel to check the drawing

23. Drawing time

CAD: A project takes nearly a month. However, the project information is very imperfect, and a lot of it relies on work experience to implement

EPLAN: It takes about more than a week, taking into account all the details of the project, to automatically generate a large number of reports for use by people in different positions

24. Accuracy of information

CAD: Too much manual repetitive work, prone to errors

EPLAN: Computer automatic statistics, no need for manual statistics, information Be accurate, there will only be design errors.

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