Pick of the Week: Eplan Platform 2.3 Released

EPLAN Software & Services LLC (Farmington Hills, MI) has release version 2.3 of its EPLAN Platform for electrical, mechatronic, fluid power, and control system product design and automation development as well as workflow optimization. The new EPLAN Platform 2.3 integrates the preplanning and detail engineering project phases, which, says the developer, can increase data consistency and project quality while simultaneously reducing the cost of project development processes.

EPLAN Platform 2.3 integrates engineering from preplanning to basic engineering. Image courtesy of EPLAN Software & Services LLC.

EPLAN Platform technology provides the fundamental functionality for electrical CAE, electrical control, instrumentation and control systems, as well as in fluid engineering. It serves as the development platform for direct data exchange between different engineering disciplines in the EPLAN product portfolio. The latter includes applications for electrical design engineering, fluid power control systems design engineering software, instrumentation and control design, and wire harness design. The EPLAN Platform technology interfaces with major mechanical design and other third-party enterprise systems.

Enhancements in EPLAN Platform 2.3 are said to focus on standardization and automation. EPLAN Platform 2.3 can directly process comprehensive preplanning tasks, such as graphical overviews, placeholders for functions, initial project data for drives, sensors and PLC inputs/outputs, and parts lists for calculations. The subsequent enclosure production and detailed design of a system is based on this data and does not require new data entry or transfers from other systems.

EPLAN Platform 2.3 can provide plant overview (P&ID) and plant structure (navigator) for transparent and integrated preplanning. Image courtesy of EPLAN Software & Services LLC.

The central dialog in the EPLAN Platform is now the new preplanning navigator, says the company. In this dialog, defined preplanning segments are displayed and administered within the project. The use of preplanning macros as well as copying and moving existing segments by drag and drop operations is said to make it easier to create and edit machine and/or plant structures. Alternatively, users can work with their CAE software directly in the graphical editor for preplanning.

Data defined at the preplanning stage can be output in report form and used, for example, for parts lists or for calculating prices and labor. As a further alternative for data entry, the preplanning option incorporates an import functionality that allows data to be exported into EPLAN from Excel spreadsheets, which enables information from other planning departments to be taken into consideration.

Key enhancements in EPLAN 2.3 of note for existing users include new page scaling, structure box with recess for power engineering, integrated management of discontinued parts, extended synchronizing of project data navigators, eased management of projects in environments with multiple versions of EPLAN installed, extended navigator display options, new search function for settings, and a new individual system customizing option based on actions and toolbars.

For more information on EPLAN version 2.3, visit EPLAN Software & Services.

Watch the EPLAN version 2.3 highlights on-demand webinar.

Click here to read more about what’s new in EPLAN version 2.3.

Download the complete, 208-page report on what’s new in EPLAN version 2.3.

See why DE's Editors selected version 2.3 of the EPLAN Platform as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.