The newly launched EPLAN Platform version 2.6 includes additional productivity enhancing features for terminal design and project data management, the representation of piping in fluid power engineering, and optimized IT integration. And the addition of Turkish makes a total of 18 languages that the EPLAN Platform suite of CAE products can support, an advantage for project collaboration and customer support across global borders.
For electrical design, these enhancements both simplify and accelerate project tasks. They include the ability to depict used accessories when processing and managing terminal strips. Automatically or manually defined jumpers can be easily identified. Users also have the possibility to display the current terminal status as it is represented in the Navigator. Yet another improvement: a new connection-oriented view highlights which terminal connections are still free and therefore available.
Managing Projects and Project Data
Using the Quick Input Filter for project management makes it even easier to process and manage projects and project data. Sub-projects are freely definable and can be saved individually, at will, and there is more flexibility in name allocation. For instance, users can update only the main project instead of storing sub-projects with the goal of bringing the main project up to date. In project structure management, certain structures can be searched for and revised throughout the entire project, which considerably simplifies project oversight. The definition of sequencing pages for print or PDF outputs has also been enhanced – and users also benefit from faster results in this area.
Piping/Hose Lines in 3D
For hydraulics and pneumatics, numerous applications require the use of pipes or hose lines to transport media such as air or oil. EPLAN Fluid Professional, including the EPLAN Pro Panel add-on, now offers the possibility to represent piping and hydraulic hose lines directly in 3D with complete layout functionality. Design engineers can thus review the layout for considerations such as the length of the hose lines. An export function is also provided in order to transfer the pipe geometries to an external manufacturing software for pipe bending.
Better IT Integration
User management has also become easier: existing users can simply be imported into an IT infrastructure instead of having to create a new user. EPLAN user rights management was expanded with support for Active Directory. The use of SQL databases has also been made simpler: a selection list of available SQL databases is available from which to select the correct one.
