Drawing sets with multiple panels

Looking for any information or ideas on drawing sets that have multiple control panels on them.

Where I currently work we typically only have 1 panel for 1 machine. However, we have been landing some larger jobs lately that have multiple panels. On the first couple there were only 2-3 panels, but I’m now looking at a job with 8+ panels and things are getting a little hairy.

I know the IEC drawing style uses the function(=), location (+), product(-) but I don’t see anything similar on NFPA drawing styles. Every set I have seen has 100+ pages with all the panels squished into one drawing set. I can see some pros and cons for each way of doing it, but I want to make sure an electrician or contractor can understand the drawing set during install; and I doubt many of them will be familiar with the IEC nomenclature.

My thinking is that I will have an overall drawing set that will include a list of all the panels, locations, voltage supplies, ampere drawings, etc. I’m thinking of also including a single line diagram, interconnection diagrams, a network layout / list of IP addresses, and a sequence of operations.

Then, I plan to make a separate schematic set for each panel. These schematic sets will be referenced on the main drawing set and will have a file-name designation to separate it from the others (i.e. -EN1, -EN2, etc). I believe this would be easier in the end because each panel will have it’s own set of drawings inside the panel, and the contractor and/or plant personnel can just reference the top-level drawing set that lists all of the panels and connections.

As for wiring between the panels, I was planning to have a dual ID label similar to EN1:1141 / EN2:1155 (This would mean enclosure 1 is landed on wire/terminal 1141 and enclosure 2 on wire/terminal 1155)

Any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.

I would always have a general arrangement drawing that identified the locations of all equipment supplied and monitored. It would show interconnecting wiring and identify the type of wire (Belden #, THHN #12 AWG, etc.) but not wire numbers. The contractor and/or owner will have their own numbering scheme, and no two are the same. There would be a corresponding Bill of Materials (BOM) identifying part numbers and quantities of panels and field installed components.

Each panel got its own BOM, part number, and drawing set. Massive drawing sets that try to show everything are cumbersome and hard to use in the field.

There isn't one right way, but I did have more than one contractor say that our drawing packages were easy to work with and understand.

I keep all my panel drawings in the same drawing set. Each panel door gets its own page showing details.

I call out the devices by the commom name and the drawing reference..

VFD C03
CIP PUMP
7.5 HP

So basically its a VFD on page C03, I try to keep VFD on their own sheet. Its the CIP PUMP 7.5 HP.

We or maybe just me. Have all walked into apanel and found zero prints. So I like the device names on the backpanel.

We did a lot of this and our standard was based off of a GM plant’s we did work for. Drawing sets were divided into sections like this:
AA001 - AA0xx
AB001 - AB xx, etc.

Panel #2’s drawings would start with BA, BB, BcC, etc.
Panel #3’s would be Cx, etc.

AZ was for parts’ list tables

May not be perfect but it worked for us.