Modular Engineering in

Panel Building:
Fit for Industry 4.0

White Paper I January 2019

In the electrical design phase of control panel building projects, conventional
engineering reaches its limits when it comes to reusability, speed, change
management and data (usability). Modular engineering can be an effective lever
here. With the help of a centrally maintained function library, electrical planners
can create circuit diagrams that are based on defined standards and can be easily
reused, are produced more quickly, allow error-free and efficient change
management and ensure (data) usability. Taking the concept a step further, the
possibility exists to fully automate the creation of circuit diagrams. Support for
the modular engineering approach will also be provided by Siemens in the future
in the form of prepared engineering modules for direct use.

A white paper from: Siemens.

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

Contents

3 Limitations and disadvantages of conventional

engineering
3 Electrical planning as a key element of every
machine design
3 Limitations of the conventional process
3 Disadvantages of the conventional process
Reusability
Speed
Change management
(Data) usability

5 Meaning of standardization and modular

engineering
5 Modular design approach as an objective
5 Modules as self-contained functional units
5 Module classes, modules, versions and realistic
combinations
6 Advantages of a modular design approach
6 Standardization as a requirement

7 Starting points of standardization

7 Continuation of existing standards
7 Hardware
7 Data and data management
8 First steps in modular engineering
8 Structuring of modules and module classes
8 Creation of modules and variants

10 Additional steps in modular engineering

10 Setup of a central library
10 Automation in electrical engineering
10 Configuration by the customer
11 Summary
11 Further information from Siemens

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018
Limitations and disadvantages of
conventional engineering
Electrical planning as a key element of every machine
design
The production of a new machine involves not only the
design of the mechanical components and development of
the automation concept, but also planning of the energy
supply and distribution (electrical planning for short). With
electrical planning, energy is safely and reliabily supplied to
all components of a machine, and all controller
components, including the inputs, and outputs are correctly
wired. In most cases, electrical planning forms the
framework for the automation engineer and thus
determines fundamental things like the communication,
topology and controller concept. The documentation
created in the process is, in a sense, a certificate of
insurance and serves as proof that the electrical equipment
of the machine is designed in conformance with the
applicable guidelines and standards. This also signifies that
all required safety objectives are fulfilled. In the end, all
switching, contacting and controlling components find their
place in the control panel. Electrical planners are
responsible for designing the electrical equipment of the
machine.
Limitations of the conventional process
In the course of the project, the circuitry diagrams must be
developed. In doing so, electrical planners rarely create a
brand new project. Instead, the layout of the circuit diagram
is the standard-compliant depiction of what has already
been planned. The necessary components are usually
assembled in (individual) lists beforehand and transferred
item by item into the circuit diagram. The lists are
continuously changing, in particular because requirements
have changed. This way of doing things has stood the test
of time and is very difficult to alter, let alone optimize.
Accordingly, by way of example, the mechanical designer
generally does not have access to the ECAD system where
he could immediately adopt the changes; this task belongs
to the electrical designer. Yet, the mechanical designer
specifies the drives to be used, the functional structure of
the machine and the number of limit switches needed in
the field. All of this is information has to be taken into
account later in the ECAD system in the form of the circuit
diagram.
In the conventional process, the structure of the component
lists and the manner of drawing in the ECAD system always
reflect the personal touch of the electrical designer, which
as a whole may lead to non-uniform diagrams.
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Disadvantages of the conventional process
When disadvantages of the conventional process are
referred to below, these are in relation to an innovative
approach – to be described next – that is more efficient and
produces better results.
1. Reusability
Specific circuits are seldom designed from scratch. Instead,
electrical planners often make use of existing circuits (from
their colleagues, for example), which they then change to
correspond to the new project. The work involved in making
these changes is time-consuming. That is because the
electrical planner must first understand the circuit well
enough to make any changes to it at all. Then the actual
work of changing it begins. In addition, using a copy and
paste method introduces the risk of transferring any errors.
These errors can be hard to identify and correct over time.
Finally, with each new project, copies of similar or even
identical circuits exist. When this happens, reuse of circuits
is thus both an added value and highly risky.
The question is how reusability can happen with favorable
results.
2. Speed
The long-standing challenge of fast and efficient circuit
diagram creation also plays an important role from a
standardization perspective. The issue here is the time lost
in the conventional drawing-oriented process. ECAD
systems offer endless options for drawing circuits. These
include extensive symbol libraries, black boxes or PLC boxes,
interruption points, and many more. This functionality is
needed to draw circuits. But, overuse of it takes up a lot of
time. When each circuit is individually drawn down to the
last detail, a correspondingly large amount of time is spent.
Especially towards the end of a project, electrical planners
facing time pressure might tend to freely draw a quick
solution in order to avoid having to search in libraries.
The issue then is how electrical planners can more easily
and quickly search for and find the symbol elements they
need.
3. Change management
It is inevitable that there will be changes to a partial circuit
or throughout the project. If a new component (for
example, a drive) is to be added, this can be done easily
most of the time. The component is added to the circuit
diagram as appropriate. If a component is to be replaced,
the process becomes more difficult. The new component
can have different connections or properties than the
3
 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

previously planned component, making it harder to adjust

in the circuit diagram. The most problematic situation is
when whole technologies are to be changed. An example
would be the change from fuses to circuit breakers in motor
circuits. This often triggers a large-scale "search and replace
action". This is usually just the beginning, since there is
typically a reason for a technology change. In this example,
the addition of monitoring capability for the protection
device could be the reason for the technology change. The
signaling contacts must then be connected to PLC inputs for
the evaluation. This can lead in turn to changes in the the
volume of inputs or outputs of the overall machine.

The issue is how the effort for implementing changes is kept

to a minimum and how electrical planners can easily stay on
top of things.
4. (Data) usability
The complete documentation and the circuit diagram serve
not just as the basis for assembly and wiring of the control
panel. They are also an important resource for service
personnel involved in maintenance, troubleshooting and
future refitting work. The control panel documentation is
often the only documentation that exists longer than the
machine itself. The goal is to make this documentation easy
to work with. If the content and layout of the
documentation varies from project to project, the assembly
and wiring processes will always differ somewhat. Service
technicians, too, will always have to put effort into
understanding each individually laid out circuit diagram.
The question is how circuit diagrams can be uniformly
created.

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

Meaning of standardization and modular

engineering

Modular design approach as an objective then not "reusable" in the positive sense and is thus
unnecessary.
The disadvantages of the conventional process can be
avoided with the help of modular engineering based on
standardization. To this end, it is important to start with an Module classes, modules, versions and realistic
explanation of standardization and modular engineering in combinations
the context of electrical design and a description of basic
An individual module performs a specific electrical task in a
principles. For illustration purposes, it is helpful to draw a
specific way. Or, one could also say: A module defines the
comparison with the closely related electronics sector. That
number and layout of devices.
is because standardization and modular engineering are
both already practiced in their purest form in that sector. A module class, on the other hand, describes the higher-
level electrical function of a module. The module class "Start
For example, a PC is made up of many individual
a motor" is used for illustration purposes. It includes many
components (modules) including a mouse, keyboard and
different modules. As an example, Module 1 is a direct-on-
monitor, but also components inside the case such as the
line starter with one motor starter protector/circuit breaker
graphics card, hard disk and motherboard. All these
and one contactor. Module 2 could be a reversing starter
components are available in a wide range of forms, colors
consisting of one motor starter protector/circuit breaker and
and appearance, but there is no need to worry about
two contactors. Module 3 could be a contactor assembly for
whether a mouse will work with the PC. The interaction of
star-delta (wye-delta) starting, and so forth. The important
all components is ensured through standardized interfaces
thing here is that only the basic design, and not specific
such as USB and VGA connectors. A closer look at each
article numbers, are defined at the module level.
individual component reveals that the electronics itself also
consists of standard modules. These are the small
microcontrollers and simple components such as resistors,
diodes and capacitors. Their appearance is not nearly as
diverse as the end product. There is a reason for this,
however. Standardized color codes are essential for printed
circuit board developers to see that, for example, a resistor
has the right resistance value. And cost-effective automated
production of printed circuit boards is only possible with
standardized component sizes.
This principle can also be transferred to the control panel.
The control panel is a highly individual object. However, it
can be designed such that all that is needed is to combine
individual finished modules in the right way. This can be
achieved with standardization and prepared engineering
modules.

Modules as self-contained functional units

Modular engineering of a control panel requires a set of
modules. A module is a self-contained functional unit that
has a defined electrical task. Possible examples of modules
are the control panel power supply (circuit breaker plus Example: From the module class to a realistic combination
monitoring) and a simple motor circuit with switching and
protective devices. But, specific monitoring functions as
well as complete air-conditioning solutions for control The articles that are ultimately used are defined at the
panels can also be implemented as modules. Attention lowest level, i.e. the realistic combination level. The reason
should be paid that the effort to prepare and manage the is that each module can offer different versions, which must
modules is proportional to the benefits. A module that is be selected later as appropriate. In the "Start a motor"
hardly ever used is probably too big or too specialized. It is module class example, different combinations are stored in

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

Module 1 "Direct-on-line starter". The specific articles are Standardization as a requirement

decided on when the motor rating is selected. Choosing a
There are two basic requirements for modular design: a
5.5 kw motor results in a specific motor starter
standardized process and standardized data. A module class
protector/circuit breaker combined with a specific contactor.
is, for example, a standardized data set. When every
On the other hand, if a 7.5 kW motor is chosen, a different
electrical designer in the company makes use of this module
motor starter protector/circuit breaker and a different
class, a standardized process exists. The personal touch of
contactor must be chosen. However, the basic design is the
individuals is eliminated. Instead, the circuit diagram is now
same in both versions.
characterized by the standard modules being used and thus
by their content and appearance.
Advantages of a modular design approach
One major advantage is that basic planning can be
completed quickly. It is no longer necessary to select each
individual component and place it in the circuit diagram.
Instead, finished modules are selected and combined
according to requirements. This also enables better
implementation of modular machine concepts. So-called
cyber-physical systems are also being talked about in the
context of digitalization. Cyber-physical systems are small
autonomous machine modules that fulfill a specific task in
production. Scalability is one of the properties of these
modules. The principle of cyber-physical systems aims at
offering a certain degree of flexibility in production. To
adjust production capacity, for example, additional modules
are added as appropriate. In order to implement these
systems, the electrical layout must also be flexible and
scalable – ideally modular.

Engineering effort: Before-After Comparison

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018
Starting points of standardization
Continuation of existing standards
The standardization in the electrical design area is the
systematic continuation of standards that are already in
place. To determine appropriate starting points, it is
important to know where the existing standardized process
ends. Example of circuit diagram creation: Many standards
already exist for this and are being used. For example, there
are standardized ISO symbols and ANSI symbols in use for
electrical components. The equipment identifier is also
standardized. EN 81346 provides an exact description of
how to structure equipment and which identifications are
used for which types of components. Both standards serve
to make the documentation more readable in general. This
is essential so that a service technician can familiarize
himself with the circuit diagram relatively easily even
though he did not create it.
Hardware
But the documentation clearly has additional purposes. For
example, the control panel is physically built, fitted with
components, wired and even tested based on the
documentation. A high level of uniformity pays off here.
The more uniform the contents of the documentation, the
more effectively an installer can work. A consistent design
approach also has other advantages. For example, it enables
the product portfolio to be simplified. This often entails a
reduction in the portfolio, which can positively impact
purchasing conditions or warehousing costs. If modules are
used predominantly, optimization can extend as far as the
preliminary commissioning on the module level in the
warehouse. A reduction in the variety of components used
also means that devices can be used flexibly. This flexibility
applies not just to a component's technical capabilities or
features, but also to its possible uses in terms of application.
As an example, the products of the SIRIUS modular system
have worldwide certifications. A contactor or motor starter
protector/circuit breaker can thus be installed in a wide
range of modules for use in IEC or UL-compliant designs or
even for special environmental conditions such as on ships.
Thus, standardization starts with the hardware and that can
be advantageous.
Data and data management
Another starting point is the data that is used in the ECAD
software – the article data. Here, too, there are several
opportunities for optimization. Firstly, regarding storage of
article data, it is common practice for every electrical
planner to manage his own article data or at least versions
of this data. In most companies, the articles that are
permitted to be used are determined centrally, for example,
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by the purchasing department. However, the question often
arises as to whether the article data for the ECAD system
will also be managed centrally in a common article
database. This can be very advantageous since only data
that is centrally stored is also accessible by every individual
employee. Moreover, the data can be centrally changed and
updated data made available. The following fundamental
rules should be established:
1. Basic data for engineering are centrally created and
stored (at one location).
2. Each electrical planner makes use of the central
data only and does not generate new article data.
3. If article data is changed, the change is always
made to the centrally stored data.
The approach of central data management is supported by
commonly used ECAD systems such as EPLAN, WSACD and
Zuken's E³series. This lays the foundation for the next
standardization step.
In this step, it is necessary to define values, attributes, file
names and design requirements in a fixed manner in order
to always get as uniform an appearance as possible and to
always find certain values in certain fields (attributes). This
is essential for subsequent error-free operation of automatic
processes such as reports and generators. This begins with
the classic reports. If, for example, the electrical planner
would like to export all data sheets of the utilized articles, it
is important that the file names of the data sheets always
be located in the same field. For additional information not
supplied by the manufacturers, it makes sense to always
look at the same data fields.
Furthermore, when graphical data is created, it should be
ensured that certain connections or the sizes of black boxes
are consistent with one another. This is very advantageous
when preparing modules later.
The goal is thus to create data structures that are as uniform
as possible and are adapted individually to the company and
the control panels to be designed. The setting of company-
wide standards is the systematic continuation of existing
standards. And that is the basis on which modular
engineering can be realized.
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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

First steps in modular engineering

Structuring of modules and module classes

The key pillar for an integrated modular engineering is the

structure. For this reason, it is important to consider which
modules and module classes make sense and which do not.
To determine this, it is helpful to look at current diagrams or
survey employees. Employees who use the ECAD system as
part of their daily work know which circuit parts are often
used. Once potential modules are identified, their
complexity and variance should be determined. In this case,
complexity defines how many elements (devices,
interruption points, terminals, etc.) belong to the module.
Variance, on the other hand, indicates whether a single
design can be used in multiple performance classes. This
step is important since the complexity later determines the
number of modules available for a particular module class.
Meanwhile, the variance determines how many value sets
must be stored for a module.
Figure 1: Example creation of a module – Power supply
with corresponding protective device

Creation of modules and variants

The advantages of standardized data are clear from the
Once a potential candidate for a module is selected, the figure. Specific devices (symbols) can be replaced by other
next step is the technical implementation. Commonly used symbols very easily without having to reposition the other
ECAD systems such as WSCAD and EPLAN offer a simple symbols in the circuit. For example, the power supply with
functionality for this – macros. Macros are circuit templates the high-power rating in Figure 1 can be very easily
that are created very easily and can be inserted into a circuit replaced by one with a lower power rating (Figure 2).
diagram as often as needed. Additionally, so-called value
sets can be stored for a macro. That is very important since
a single technical design can often be realized for different
performance classes. To create a module, a typical circuit
should first be drawn. This is illustrated in the figure below
using an example of a power supply with corresponding
protective device.

Figure 2: Simplified symbol replacement thanks to

standardized data

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

If the two circuits were laid one on top of the other, one
would see that the position of the circuit breakers and the
inputs and outputs of the power supply have not changed
although the actual symbol of the power supply (and thus
the device) has changed.

Once the design of a partial circuit is complete, appropriate

variants can also be stored. The example shown here has
various value sets stored so that once the user has placed
the module, he can easily select which performance class he
would like to have and how the power supply is to be set
up.

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 White Paper | Modular Engineering in Panel Building: Fit for Industry 4.0 | December 2018

Additional steps in modular engineering

Setup of a central library Automation in electrical planning is ultimately a matter of

The creation and preparation of modules and entire module
classes is only the beginning of modular engineering.
Mandatory use of the modules throughout the company is
advisable. For this purpose, the modules should be stored in
central libraries and made accessible to every electrical
designer. As soon as parts of the library are replaced or
modified, the changes are available to all employees. The
problem of the consistent error caused by uncontrolled copy
and paste operations is now a thing of the past. Of course, a
comprehensive library cannot be created overnight.
However, it can be increased over time to contain more and
more modules. That way it will turn into a valuable
collection and ultimately a success factor for effective and
efficient electrical design work.
With that, three of the four success factors for successful
modular engineering (reusability, speed and change
management) are established. Still remaining is the factor
of usability. And here is the point at which the direction
turns to automating and generating. That is because ECAD
systems offer powerful functionality for modular and
automated generation of complete circuit diagrams (and
even control panel layouts).
designing selection logic in such a way that as many circuits
as possible are generated automatically. Subsequent work
then consists basically of checking circuits, deleting
unnecessary elements and implementing individual
requirements.
Configuration by the customer
Automation can be pushed even further: a fully
configurable project in which the customer configures the
electrical planning. That can be very useful when end
customers build machines that also have many variants and
can be technologically but modularly designed (a modular
machine concept might also be referred to here). Here, it
may make sense to invest more energy in a sophisticated
configurable project than to create a customized solution
each time. Even the control panel or cabinet could then be
designed in a modular and configurable manner.
Customers wanting to build new variants of their machines
can independently configure the electrical project. The only
thing left to do is to submit the result to their control panel
builders, and production of a new panel can begin.

Automation in electrical engineering

Modules can be created as described such that the user

places them and then only has to choose certain parameters
to obtain pre-assembled circuit parts. With automation, this
approach goes even further and enables generation of
complex circuit diagrams or entire projects simply by
selecting certain parameters of different modules. The logic
used to select the modules can be created for this. And,
once again, commonly used ECAD systems offer suitable
functionality for this. The following thinking is behind this
logic:

When a new project is created, there is generally always a

set of recurring questions that must be answered. These
start with the type and design of the control panel infeed
and continue with things like the power supply, the utilized
PLC technology and its design all the way to the individual
motor circuit or the control of frequency converters. In
addition, companies often operate in a homogenous
customer environment. This means the design and the
technology of the control panels can be similar.

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Summary Support for the modular engineering approach will also be

In the electrical design phase of control panel building
projects, conventional engineering reaches its limits when it
comes to reusability, speed, change management and data
(usability). Modular engineering can be an effective lever
here. With the help of a centrally maintained function
library, electrical planners can create circuit diagrams that
are based on defined standards and can be easily reused,
are produced more quickly, allow error-free and efficient
change management and ensure (data) usability. Taking the
concept further, the possibility exists to fully automate the
creation of circuit diagrams.
provided by Siemens in the future in the form of prepared
engineering modules for direct use. The first module library
for 24 V SITOP power supplies can already be downloaded
and used:
www.siemens.com/controlpanel/modular-engineering
In addition, users can be confident that the CAx data of
Siemens components is already standardized to a certain
extent, which makes it easier to use and supports the
respective standardization process.

Further information from Siemens

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on our market portal www.siemens.com/controlpanel. This
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information on our aligned product and system portfolio.

Siemens AG
Digital Factory Control Products Integrated Control Panels –
DF CP S&MK ICP The easy way to optimized control panels
PO Box 23 55
90713 Fürth, Germany

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