Eplan told about implementation of a CAD of EPLAN in LLC NPP EKRA

On May 16, 2018 Eplan told about product introduction of Eplan Pro Panel in process production of cabinets of RZA of ShE2607 and ShE2710 series by LLC NPP EKRA company.

Prerequisites of the Project

One of the most important product directions of LLC NPP EKRA are cabinets of microprocessor devices of relay protection and automatic equipment (MT of RZA) of ShE2607 and ShE2710 series of the equipment of substations of a class of voltage of 110-220 kV and 330-750 kV, respectively. Requirements of the industry and fierce competition in the Russian market of RZA MT devices dictated need of reduction of production time of cabinets without deterioration in their quality. For the purpose of further increase in volumes of serial production and quality improvement of technical documentation the decision on the beginning of works on implementation of an electrotechnical automated design engineering system (CAD) allowing to improve a technology production process of the released cabinets of RZA along with process optimization of design and performance improvement was made.

On the basis of the overview of the available offers and taking into account specifics of the developed products two most known CAD software products were considered: E3.series of production "Zuken" and EPLAN of EPLAN Software & Service company. The main criteria of comparison became: a user-friendly interface of the program, intuitive three-dimensional design, possibilities of standardization of design, integration with the systems of automated management and accounting which are already implemented at the enterprise. On the basis of results of design of a prototype of a cabinet of ShE2607 series preference was given in both software products to the EPLAN system.

Implementation of the project

Basic electric circuit

Basic electric circuit

Implementation of a CAD of EPLAN first of all required a number of organizational changes in structure of department of development of substation protection of the enterprise. To the EPLAN system for development of electric schematic circuits of cabinets of RZA the graphics editors Compass and MS of Visio were used. Designations of ranks of terminal clips and lists of elements formed using the MS Word text editor. At the same time the designer had to spend a lot of time for entering of changes, necessary on the project, into the typical electric circuit of a cabinet, for creation of the corresponding ranks of clips and the list of elements. Such routine work did not exclude emergence of mechanical errors on any of its stages.

In the EPLAN system a basis for design of a cabinet are previously created libraries and macroes (combinations of characters) which are developed by users of a CAD according to requirements of ESKD. As characters belong to the most important elements in EPLAN, specially appointed responsible administrator on whose work the efficiency of use of a CAD in many respects depends is engaged in their creation and service of a DB of products. EPLAN is the flexible platform allowing to expand functionality using Add-In which are built in the program of additions.

In NPP EKRA as the ERP system software product 1S8:UPP – the solution of 1C Company for creation of complex information management systems is used by activity of the multi-profile enterprises. Using the created Add-In of opportunities in structure of the EPLAN project all initial data about the order of a cabinet are unloaded from 1S8:UPP. Treat such data: serial number of a cabinet, cabinet type, name of an object, technical characteristics of a cabinet, construct type.

Standard means of the program execute verification of the scheme on existence of errors which allows to reveal duplication of contacts of devices or jumpers, the wrong marking of types of wires for current chains, use of devices which are not issued any more, etc. Automatic formation of a terminal row (fig. 3a) and list of elements (fig. 3b) in a tabular form is made by generation of the corresponding reports. The list of elements (specification) of a cabinet is automatically unloaded in the accounting system 1S8:UPP, creating the need for warehouse stocks of component parts. The circuit diagram of a cabinet remains in a format of a macro of pages (all sheets of the scheme in one file) and is transferred in structure of a task for the subsequent stage of designing. The developed scheme and also tables of a terminal row and the list of elements join in the graphic section of the Operation manual on a cabinet.

Design documentation

Problems of accomplishment of design works in the EPLAN CAD system demanded preliminary creation of a DB of three-dimensional models of elements of metalwork and devices. Using three-dimensional models of nodes of metalwork, templates on standard sizes of all cabinets of RZA released by the enterprise were created. Also the base on the hardware where schemes of drilling (punched hole) of plates and doors of a cabinet under installation of devices and the description of coordinates of their outputs on x axes, Y, Z, lengths and types of tips for a wire, etc. entered was worked out.

Work of the design engineer in the EPLAN system begins with creation of the new project based on ready which contains all report types and three-dimensional model of a cabinet of the necessary dimension and type. Further the macro of pages of the electric circuit transferred with a task for designing is recovered and all data of the designed cabinet from the accounting system 1S8:UPP are imported.

Creation of three-dimensional model of a cabinet consists in configuration of a cabinet according to the imported scheme. In need of a DB new macroes of nodes of metalwork or devices are entered. Assembly drawings of a metal construction of a cabinet are created by standard means of Eplan by setup of display of reviews of types of three-dimensional model. The specification on a cabinet forms automatically based on a template.

Further unloading in 1S8:UPP of complete structure of the cabinet including a razuzlovanny metal construction, files of punched holes of doors and plates (.dxf format) is made. Then the designer gives the EPLAN command to automatically route and optimize hardwired connections between devices according to a schematic circuit. This procedure in EPLAN is performed from conditions that no more than two wires should come to one conclusion and length of wires, whenever possible, should be minimum. The mandatory requirement is ensuring convenience of the subsequent operation of a cabinet (a broach of screw connections, a possibility of dismantling, etc.).

Based on the received cabinet model two report types automatically are created: table of connections and connection diagram (wiring diagram). The documentation kit is transferred to section of assembly production.

Connection diagram

Production of a cabinet

After production and completing of all necessary parts the mechanic on the basis of the assembly drawings created by the EPLAN system and the specification (in paper form) collects construct of a cabinet. The assembler, also on the basis of assembly drawings and the specification, executes installation of necessary devices in a cabinet and marks them in advance prepared labels. At the final stage of production point-to-point wiring of devices according to its wiring diagram is executed. Each manufacturing stage of a cabinet is completed according to technology documentation on accomplishment of specific transactions under control of Quality Department.

One of results of system operation of a CAD of EPLAN is the file of information on wired logic connections in a cabinet which is automatically generated at a stage of work of the design engineer.

According to the results of a full production cycle of production of "pilot" cabinets of RZA of work the following results were received:

• business development processes of the circuit diagram and constructive solutions, production of cabinets, creations and replenishments of a DB of new products are created;
• the system DB is organized, necessary forms and report templates are created;
• integration with the ERP system of the enterprise, with metalassembly and mounting productions, assembly and mounting productions is implemented;
• installation check automation is implemented.

Taking into account positive results of production of "pilot" cabinets the decision on transition to complete implementation of a CAD of EPLAN to serial production of cabinets of RZA of the substation equipment was made.

Deep integration

At this stage the following objects and the tasks were set:

• training of all specialists of developers in work in Eplan CAD;
• complete transition to release and creation of documentation in the Eplan CAD format;
• deep integration of a CAD of Eplan into a production chain of production of cabinets.

A number of completions of the program offered NPP EKRA on improvement of a system was considered by developer firm in the subsequent versions of the software product. Within improvement of production process using EPLAN CAD a particular interest raised a question of use of the machine on cutting, seal and marking of wires at installation of cabinets. Means of a CAD at a stage of designing of a cabinet allow to obtain data on lengths of wires and the applied tips that allows to automate a part of work of the assembler. The EPLAN group created report forms on automatic generation of tables of connection and drawings of routing of wires. The made experiments on installation of cabinets with the cut and marked wires showed a possibility of automation of technology process and revealed a number of new questions of technology maintenance, personnel training.

Result of implementation

At all stages of serial production of cabinets of protection of the substation equipment transition to use of the selected automated system is executed.

Important advantages of a CAD are possibilities of automatic formation of schemes of electrical connections, identifications of errors of design, end-to-end design at all stages, the organization of planning of documentation release and, as a result, performance improvement at reduction of terms of serial production.