Are Your Electrical Engineers Using Dedicated Electrical CAD Software?

Here are four key benefits of using CAD software – with a special focus on electrical computer-aided design (ECAD) software.

1) Increased Efficiency And Productivity 

Electrical-specific CAD software allows your team to work faster as they can spend less time on manual time-consuming tasks such as wire numbering, addressing and tagging PLC’s and creating a BOM, thanks to built-in automated features. With certain CAD systems, engineers can also create and revise complex 3D models quickly and accurately, significantly reducing the resource spent on product development and minimising the risk of components not fitting into a control cabinet. By automating many of the steps involved within the design process and using advanced technology such as 3D digital twins, projects can be completed more quickly, and with fewer errors which saves the whole business money and ensure stakeholders and customers remain satisfied. 

2) Improved Collaboration And Information Sharing

Some CAD software providers within the electrical industry, such as EPLAN, also provide built-in tools or additional applications that enable multiple users to collaborate on projects from different locations, usually via the cloud. This helps reduce any costs associated with travel, removes the need for back-and-forth emails and ensures that all stakeholders are working from the same project version.

3D digital twin models can also make it easy to show managers and company directors what the final product looks like without getting bogged down by technical details. This also allows for an understanding of what work needs to be undertaken by different engineers, supply partners, and panel builders working on the project. Also, the ability to quickly send updated versions of a design to stakeholders through the platform, rather than via email or another file sharing service, greatly improves communication between all parties involved in a project and avoids costly and frustrating miscommunications. 

3) Enhanced Accuracy 

Unlike manual drawing methods that are prone to errors due to mistakes or lapses in concentration, CAD software is highly accurate and consistent with each iteration of a design. Automated design features such as symbol placement and automatic connections reduce the risk of human error, allowing engineers to focus on the bespoke or individual aspects of each design.  

A 3D virtual environment further promotes accuracy as it allows engineers to visualise an end product as a 3D digital twin and identify any design flaws i.e., the required components do not fit or that a certain component is blocking a cooling airflow. This eliminates costly mistakes that can delay production schedules and eat into profits, increasing the overall level of quality and reliability for each design. 

CAD software can also facilitate reflective learning and project improvements, by automatically generating detailed reports and project checks that allow designers to review their work for accuracy and quality on an ongoing basis during the design process. 

Once the design is finalised, some electrical CAD providers also include export options to transfer the data directly from the workspace to manufacturing machines, avoiding ‘errors in translation’ that cascade into production faults. For example, EPLAN Pro Panel has an available add-on that enables the direct transfer of data such as panel drilling and cut-out information to Rittal machines for automated panel modification. 

4) Cost Savings  

All three of the aforementioned benefits contribute to the overall cost savings of a project, and within today’s competitive industry, this has never been more important. Companies can be more confident that all items on the bill of materials are correct as there was no manual entry of parts data. They can also be confident that all components can fit into the electrical cabinet as all stakeholders have seen the end product as a 3D digital twin. This significantly reduces costly errors from arising and the wrong parts being ordered. Finally, since CAD designs are stored digitally, they take up less space than physical prototypes – reducing storage costs for manufacturers as well.

Next Steps

Overall, an electrical-specific CAD software package will have a positive effect on upstream and downstream stakeholders by helping engineers to produce designs that are accurate, according to standards and within the time frame provided. To find out more about the benefits of CAD design for electrical design projects, or to learn more about EPLAN - the world’s leading ECAD provider – please call +44 (0)1709 704100 today.