Product data digital twins for all ECAD tools available with just a few clicks

Digital twins are an important part of Industry 4.0. But what does a practical application look like? Siemens is demonstrating this together with Phoenix Contact.

For a smooth engineering process, electrical engineers need manufacturer-validated, technical product data for the used components. The ECLASS ADVANCED Community of CADENAS GmbH offers electrical engineers’ access to such “intelligent” product data. With the help of the ECLASS ADVANCED Community, the product data of well-known component manufacturers can be integrated into the engineering workflow of various ECAD tools.

Phoenix Contact provides digital twins of its product data with the ECLASS ADVANCED Community for all ECAD tools. The NX Industrial Electrical Design tool offers the possibility of integrating the product data digital twins directly into the electrical engineering workflow.

CADENAS has been creating 2D/3D product catalogs for mechanical engineering together with manufacturers of technical components since 1992. The aim is to simplify and accelerate the planning process for engineers, because planning is constantly evolving in the direction of mechatronic engineering. That is why CADENAS focused early on intelligent engineering data, the so-called digital twin. For users from the field of electrical engineering, this means convenient online access to manufacturer-certified product data, which, in addition to the pure geometric data, includes numerous important additional information. This engineering data is available independently of the ECAD software. Currently, the component data for electrical engineering can already be used for NX Industrial Electrical Design, Zuken E³.series and Wscad.

Available with just a few clicks

Phoenix Contact provides product data digital twins with the ECLASS ADVANCED Community powered by CADENAS for all ECAD tools. Through this cooperation with CADENAS, Phoenix Contact can provide its customers with intelligent ECAD and engineering data that are tailored to the needs of the target group. The ECLASS ADVANCED format also includes 2D electrical schematic symbols and the corresponding 3D model for the control cabinet layout. Since the data is available online, electrical engineers can insert the required components into their own ECAD system with just a few clicks.

Electrical engineers prefer to select products that are available in their engineering environment with just a few clicks and that provide all the information required for their electrical engineering. According to CADENAS surveys, around 87 percent of all downloaded parts data leads to sold products. Around 100,000 electrical engineers worldwide are already using the service offered by the digital product catalog of the manufacturers of electrical components. After the engineering phase in the ECAD system and the release of the design, the components are transferred directly to the parts list and thus to the PLM/ERP system (purchasing management). Purchasing can thus immediately access all the necessary information for procuring the components.

Integrate digital twins into the engineering workflow

NX Industrial Electrical Design manages the Phoenix Contact product data within the Reuse Library. From here, the digital twins can be used to create the electrical schematics and the control cabinet layouts. The Reuse Library can be filled directly via the ECLASS ADVANCED Community. Integrated directly into the NX Industrial Electrical Design user interface, one can certainly speak of an economic integration of the ECLASS ADVANCED Community platform into the electrical engineering workflow. The user has access to the ECLASS ADVANCED Community via a web browser, which is based on CADENAS’ part community technology. Based on all available Phoenix Contact product data, the appropriate electrical components can be selected using search and filter functions and then transferred to the Reuse Library. The ECLASS ADVANCED Standard is used for exchanging engineering data from the Phoenix Contact catalogue.

Want to learn more? Our products enable a holistic engineering of production systems from mechanical concept through to complete PLC code. NX Industrial Electrical Design offers a one-of-a-kind engineering toolset, designed from the ground up to enable controls engineers to complete their work with the highest efficiency, quality and speed possible. Electrical and automation engineers work on the same backbone, with an integrated data model, saving time and eliminating errors. Directly integrate mechanical engineering data and receive updates, improving collaboration across your organization. Learn more about NX Industrial Electrical Design 

Engelbert Blumenthal, Senior Product Manager at Siemens Digital Industries Software

Josef Schmelter, Master Specialist Classification at Phoenix Contact