Reducing Panel Production Time with Eplan Pro Panel

When panel builders lose time, it is often because the design reaches production and the shop floor still has to figure out how the panel should physically come together.

A schematic may show what needs to be connected, but it does not always answer the questions that slow production down:

• Where should the mounting rails go?
• Where should wire ducts be placed?
• Will the components actually fit?
• What wire lengths should be cut?
• Will the component layout create hot spots later?

When those answers are left to production, builders rely on measuring, marking, estimating, and adjusting on the fly. That creates rework, slows training, and increases dependency on the most experienced technicians.

Eplan Pro Panel helps solve that problem by moving layout decisions into a 3D digital design environment before the cabinet is built. The result is a digital twin that gives production a clearer path to follow.

The Problem: Too Much Trial and Error

In a traditional workflow, the cabinet layout often depends on 2D drawings, printed documentation, or a builder’s experience. Skilled technicians may know where components should go and how much spacing is required, but that knowledge can be difficult to repeat across builds, shifts, and technician teams.

Trial-and-error layout can create avoidable cost and time losses. Components may be mounted too close together. Wire ducts may restrict access. Wire lengths may be guessed instead of calculated. Rails may need to be moved after parts are installed. Thermal hot spots may only be discovered after the cabinet is built.

The better approach is to confirm the layout digitally before production starts.

What Eplan Pro Panel Does

Eplan Pro Panel is a 3D engineering software solution for control panel enclosures and switchgear. It helps engineers create a detailed 3D cabinet layout using project and component data.

In practical terms, Eplan Pro Panel helps define:

1. Enclosure layout
2. DIN rail and wire duct placement
3. Component positioning
4. Wire lengths and pathways
5. Holes and cutouts
6. Manufacturing data for production

Instead of building from assumptions, the shop floor can build from a model that already accounts for the physical requirements of the cabinet. That means less guesswork, fewer late changes, and a more repeatable production process.

Step 1: Start with Schematic Data

The process typically begins in Eplan Electric P8, where engineers create schematics that define devices, connections, terminals, and project documentation.

Eplan Pro Panel uses that schematic data as the foundation for the 3D cabinet layout. The layout is connected to engineering data already defined in the project, not recreated from scratch, so time savings can accumulate downstream.

Step 2: Place Rails, Wire Ducts, and Components in 3D

Inside Eplan Pro Panel, the engineer places the enclosure, mounting panel, DIN rails, wire ducts, and electrical components in accurate 3D space.

When rails and ducts are defined digitally, the shop floor does not have to decide placement manually. Builders can see where each rail belongs, where wire ducts should be installed, and how the cabinet should be prepared before components are mounted.

Components can also be placed using realistic manufacturer data, including data available through the Eplan Data Portal. Instead of rough placeholders, engineers can work with real component dimensions.

That makes fit problems visible earlier. If a component blocks access, sits too close to another device, interferes with wire duct placement, or creates a poor layout, the issue can be corrected digitally before anyone drills, cuts, or mounts parts. Rework later in the process can be reduced.

Step 3: Route Wires Before Production Starts

Once components are placed, Eplan Pro Panel can route wires and cables in 3D to define the path each connection should follow through the cabinet.

Production can receive clearer information for wire lengths, routes, colors, cross-sections, and duct fill. Instead of estimating wire lengths on the floor, builders can work from calculated routing data, which helps reduce waste and rework.

This data can also support downstream automation. Rittal Automation Systems can use digital manufacturing information for automated cutting, drilling, milling, and wire processing, while the Rittal Wire Terminal WT C10 can use data to cut, strip, crimp, and label wires.

Step 4: Plan for Cooling and Heat Dissipation

Layout also includes making sure the cabinet can operate reliably once it is in use. Heat-generating components need the right spacing, airflow, and climate control strategy. If a cooling unit’s intake or exhaust is blocked, or if high-heat devices are clustered poorly, the cabinet can develop hot spots that create performance issues later.

Eplan Pro Panel supports this by helping calculate heat dissipation based on the available device and project data, providing a power dissipation value for the cabinet. That gives engineers and customers a more accurate basis for selecting the right cooling component before the panel is built.

The direct interface with Rittal RiTherm then makes climate-control selection smoother. Instead of treating cooling as a late-stage correction, the engineering team can evaluate thermal requirements during the design phase and make better decisions about cooling capacity, airflow, and component placement.

This can help reduce difficult late-stage changes such as moving components, rerouting wires, adding cooling capacity, or reworking mounting locations after assembly.

Step 5: Generate Manufacturing Data

After the 3D layout is complete, Eplan Pro Panel can generate manufacturing data from the model. This can include drill hole positions, cutout information, wire lists, parts lists, assembly information, and NC data for automated machining.

The same model used to validate the layout can support production, reduce duplicate data entry, and give the shop floor more reliable information. With a strong digital foundation, engineers and technicians can work from a more streamlined and repeatable process with fewer errors.

That data can also feed Eplan Smart Production, where workers can follow clearer, step-by-step mounting and wiring instructions based on the engineering model, which helps newer technicians build with more confidence.

The Big Picture: Faster Production Starts with a Better Layout

For panel builders, there are more ways to improve production time than simply working faster on the shop floor. Removing uncertainty before the work gets there can be one of the most effective ways to improve throughput.

With Eplan Pro Panel, panel shops can reduce layout surprises, wire length estimates, clearance issues, thermal risks, and late corrections. The result is a cabinet design that is not only electrically correct, but also easier, faster, and more repeatable to build.

Want to reduce trial-and-error in your panel production process? Contact Eplan to learn how Eplan Pro Panel can help your team design panels that are ready for production.