October 2020

www.smartmachinesandfactories.com September/October 2020 | 27 | | APPLICATIONS | L CA Group – a leading engineering company in North Wales, which provides electrical engineering services to businesses across the country, including project design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and maintenance – is underpinning its engineering and manufacturing operations using EPLAN’s Pro Panel software, which provides all necessary data for manufacturing like BOMs, drawings and flat projection drawings and integrates automation technologies in the processes of product development and manufacturing. This applies to the mechanical processing of the cabinet housing components and copper busbars, as well as for the control of machines in the cable and wire assembly. Even future-oriented automation technologies such as automated assembly of terminal strips or the robotic wiring of equipment are supported with the EPLAN Pro Panel package. The company also operates the UK’s first Rittal Automation Systems 3D laser machining centre, which makes it possible for them to provide industry-leading 3D design and manufacturing capabilities for its customers. In addition, LCA uses EPLAN Smart Wiring, a system that visualises the wiring and makes all wiring data 100% digitally available. Users benefit from a significant drop in the error rate and substantial time savings. This applies to last-minute changes in particular, as the software handles the sometimes complex task of comparing a project’s new state with its previous baseline. EPLAN Smart Wiring’s digital representation refers to the virtual model’s 3D layout in EPLAN Pro Panel. Advanced manufacturing systems At LCA, the EPLAN software interfaces directly with Rittal’s advanced manufacturing systems. These include the Rittal Perforex LC 3015 3D laser machining centre, a system for the construction of sheet steel panels which automates processes previously done by hand. Using the facilities provided by EPLAN Pro Panel software, which has integrated 3D modelling, the Perforex LC 3015 can be programmed to perform measuring and machining to an extremely high degree of accuracy while processing panels in a fraction of the time previously required for these operations. A Rittal Secarex cutting centre to cut DIN mounting rails, C rails and cable ducts is also used by LCA. This machine offers considerable cost savings thanks to improved quality and reduced waste rates and is far more efficient than manual cutting. The Secarex centre includes a state-of-the-art operating station with an industrial PC, a 18.5 inch monitor and a keyboard with trackball. It also features pre-defined templates for various sizes of DIN rail and has an integrated label printer for project-related labelling of support rails and cable ducts. LCA also uses the Rittal Averex system, which the company says is the world’s first robotic wiring centre. This is an automated solution for machinery, control enclosure and switchgear manufacturers that saves time and money by eliminating the need to wire mounting plates manually. The Averex system cuts the wires to the correct length, before stripping them and crimping them with wire ferrules. Then it feeds the wires through the cable duct and attaches them to components such as terminal blocks, contactors and motor circuit breakers. Cloud-based solutions LCA was recently invited to trial EPLAN’s latest cloud- based products. The new cloud-based collaboration tool, EPLAN eVIEW, makes it easy for designers and customers to work closely together on projects, helping to speed up the design review process as well as reducing the need for design revision and reworking, resulting in substantial cost savings. With EPLAN eVIEW, engineering projects generated using the EPLAN platform can be accessed directly via the cloud. This means that project data can be viewed anytime, anywhere, by anyone who has been granted access. One of the key features is a red-lining function that lets customers, employees on the shop floor and maintenance engineers add their suggestions for changes. These changes are then instantly accessible to the design engineers. According to LCA, EPLAN eVIEW is already making lengthy design reviews a thing of the past. Unlike most of its competitors, the company’s customers can mark-up drawings online and send their comments back to LCA within minutes rather than hours. In addition, using eVIEW means all drawings are accessed online, reducing the need for physical print outs, which not only saves money but also helps to protect the environment. Another benefit is that it provides a full audit trail showing previous versions, and a full history of change requests including who initiated, approved and made them. LCA says it has benefitted greatly from using the new EPLAN ePULSE platform and, as a result, it has purchased two additional EPLAN Pro Panel licenses, along with company design standardisation, onsite consultancy and training services from EPLAN. In the future, LCA is planning to also purchase EPLAN Cogineer and EPLAN Preplanning. LCA Group was chosen to trial the new EPLAN eVIEW solution, which is part of EPLAN’s portfolio of ePULSE cloud-based services. Smart Machines & Factories take a closer look. Engineering software solutions