What tools and how are you guys designing your control panels?

I just put this video together showing my workflow;

https://youtu.be/1FdI1ttwVYA


I’m interested in what tools and how everybody else is doing it?

Thanks,
Jonny

I use regular Autocad.
i have a library of panels, wire duct, plc components, terminals, relays, and lots of others that i have built over a 25 + year career.
there are other software packages, autocad electrical for one.
james

I use https://skycad.ca/features.php

This might not be the best place for this question? Maybe a cad forum would get you a better answer.
Reason I say that is that there is a division of labor in controls that you find in a lot of companies. Half the companies out there have people just using cad software for panels. The other half do the plc programming. And then there are some companies that do both with same person.

Its the divide and conquer rule I suppose. Is it better? I am not sure since I have done it both ways. I kind of liked doing my cad because it gives you a chance to be off the road for that time.

In my case, i do it all.
Quotes, manuals, cad electrical, plc/hmi programming, and installations.
james

Hi,

We are starting to use Eplan as well, and Pro Panel for the Panel Layouts.
I noted today that the 1734-AENT (in my system) didn't have the correct image macro - it appeared just as a block - and the two 1734 I/O cards in the project were also blocks.

Tomorrow's job is getting the Step file for the 1734 gear into Eplan so that the panel layouts look correct.

I am coming from an AutoCAD background, so it's been at times a struggle how to do things in Eplan, but I can see it's advantages when all of the parts have the correct macros with them.

We also struggle to get the PLC addressing to import/export ok - most of the time it is easier to edit the PLC addressing one point at a time in Eplan.

Eplan is nice, but WAY too expensive. Even their basic plan is about 6-7 grand and is 'crippled'.

There aren't a lot of great options out there. I mostly work in Autocad with 'dumb' drawings and a BOM tool I've designed myself for quotes and the like. I've found with my industry, the panels don't change a great deal, and it takes too much time to try and set things up in software and it is just easier by hand.

Plus - many times I have found I can use the same exact drawings with a different bill of materials (for customer specs).

I've tried/Used Radica Electra, Solidworks Electrical, Eplan, Autocad Electrical, Qelectrotech, Elwin 3XM, See Electrical, Skycad, PC Schematic and Zuken E3. None of them really did what I wanted, but Eplan was the closest.

I would have purchased it if the cost were anywhere near reasonable. I regret not buying Autocad Electrical 2016 - and I'll never look back into it as long as it remains subscription-based.