CAE SOFTWARE
FEATURE
ECLIPSE DISCOVERS THE MAGNETISM OF EPLAN! L
ong-established and successful designer and manufacturer of high performance magnets
and associated technology, Eclipse Magnetics, has recently experienced an increasing demand for electromagnetic systems and solutions. To help the company deal with these emerging requirements efficiently and cost-effectively, Eclipse Magnetics has chosen computer aided engineering (CAE) software from EPLAN. With more than 100 years’ experience, Eclipse
Magnetics is part of the world renowned Spear & Jackson Group. Eclipse Magnetics has a track record in the design and manufacture of high performance magnetic systems and supplies mission-critical equipment to some of the leading names in demanding industries such as food and beverage, automotive manufacturing, aerospace and steel. The company prides itself on offering products and systems that combine quality with performance and value. “We were at a point where the electrical aspects
of the business were getting more complex and we therefore felt the need for a powerful and versatile electrical design tool,” explained Harry Heathfield, electrical design engineer at Eclipse Magnetics. “After carefully evaluating the options, EPLAN was selected over several other suppliers of CAD/CAE software, to bring more efficiency and professionalism to our electrical design work. In the end Eclipse Magnetics decided on EPLAN Pro Panel, EPLAN Fluid, Process Wiring and EPLAN Smart Wiring.” Eclipse Magnetics purchased EPLAN Pro Panel
to aid their design process, as it enables users to design and construct control cabinets and switchboards in 3D. EPLAN Pro Panel covers the entire range of services – mounting layout in 3D, the virtual wiring of components to the individual design and also offers a comprehensive range of options for planning, documentation and management of automation projects. The virtual 3D model of the control cabinet
switchgear system helps designers make best use of the control panel space available. Integrated
Rittal and Eplan:
Your strong partners for sustainable panel building and switchgear manufacturing
◾ Reduce costs
◾ Shorten processing times ◾ Increase productivity
planning aids such as collision testing, adherence to manufacturer installation guidelines, minimum clearances and bending radii, allow quick and optimum positioning and installation. “This powerful tool will allow Eclipse
Magnetics to provide drawings and documentation to IEC standards, in multiple languages, and generate smart schematic PDFs, 3D cabinet models, calculate cable routing, pneumatic pipe routing and automated bill of materials, to name a few,” said Heathfield. As there was a requirement to work with some
legacy drawings, Eclipse Magnetics opted for the EPLAN Pro Panel STEP Export. This allows them to transfer seamlessly between packages and ensure that all drawing formats used can be made compatible for the benefit of the end user. The Eclipse Magnetics team also purchased
T
EPLAN Smart Wiring, a new browser-based software solution that simplifies control cabinet wiring by visualising wiring and making all the necessary 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. “EPLAN Smart Wiring’s digital representation
refers to the virtual model’s 3D layout in EPLAN Pro Panel,” explained Jarett Lathey, regional sales manager at EPLAN. “However, the new application can be utilised to enhance productivity even without a 3D layout. And as an added benefit, it can also be used remotely or when on the shop floor via portable devices such as tablets and smartphones”. The company also chose EPLAN Fluid for their
projects. This is for the automated design and documentation of circuits in fluid power installations in hydraulics, pneumatics, cooling and lubrication and complies fully with current standards such as the mechatronic standard EN81346. Fluid-specific engineering is connected with all other engineering disciplines through the EPLAN Platform so that different engineering tasks can be carried out in parallel and the overall
engineering process is accelerated. In order to get the most out of EPLAN, the
team followed the standard eight-day course for EPLAN Pro Panel, and subsequently EPLAN Smart Wiring and Process Wiring courses. It has also purchased extra training days for EPLAN Fluid. Heathfield said: “EPLAN offers a professional
and streamlined view of our design. We have seen massive time improvements and reduced errors from the design stages. EPLAN Smart Wiring has greatly helped our shop floor staff irrespective of their level of experience, freeing up important resources for the rest of the team. Overall, we are extremely pleased to have gone ‘whole hog’ with EPLAN, as every element allows us to add extra quality for our own customers.” Eclipse Magnetics also benefits from EPLAN
Data Portal access which is a web-based resource that provides access to detailed component data for more than 980,000 electrical, mechanical, fluidic and pneumatic components from more than 333 global manufacturers. The data can be dragged and dropped directly into EPLAN documentation, reducing configuration work and increasing the quality of machine and system documentation. To support its engineers, Eclipse Magnetics
also has access to EPLAN Global Support, which provides access to EPLAN experts, an online ticket helpdesk, access to online FAQ’s and a dedicated telephone service.
EPLAN
www.eplan.co.uk
Learn more at
eplan-software.com/industries/panel-building/value-chain DESIGN SOLUTIONS | MARCH 2021 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
