Outsourcing EPLAN panel design: what to send and expect

Why panel shops and machine builders outsource drawings

Panel drawings arrive in peaks: three machines due in the same month, a design engineer on leave, or a customer abroad who asks for EPLAN files when your team draws in AutoCAD. Outsourcing the drawings keeps the workshop busy without hiring for the peak. It works well when the inputs are clear and the drawings that come back are checked.

What to send

The more of this you send at the start, the fewer questions and revisions later.

• Load list: every motor or load with its power, voltage and starter type — direct-on-line, star-delta, soft starter or VFD.
• Control system: the PLC make and model, the I/O list or at least the I/O count, any remote I/O, the HMI and the network, such as Profinet or EtherNet/IP.
• Supply: voltage, frequency, earthing system, the incoming cable and, if known, the fault level.
• Enclosure: size limits, IP rating, floor or wall mounting, and what goes on the door — HMI, pilot lights, push buttons, meters.
• Preferred makes: switchgear, contactors, relays, terminals, PLC, drives and ducting, or the end customer's approved make list.
• Standards and templates: the customer's drawing standard, title block, language and the page structure they expect.
• What exists today: old drawings, a marked-up sketch, or photos of an existing panel if the job is a copy or an upgrade.

What a complete drawing set includes

• Cover page and table of contents
• Single-line diagram
• Power and control schematics, with cross-references between coils and contacts
• PLC I/O pages showing each channel, its tag and its field device
• Panel general arrangement, mounting plate layout and door cut-outs
• Terminal plans, a cable schedule and a wire list
• Bill of materials with makes and part numbers
• A revision record

Ask for the PDF set and the native project: the EPLAN project backup, or the AutoCAD Electrical project with its drawings. With PDFs alone, the next change starts from scratch.

How the work runs

A typical outsourced panel design runs like this:

1. Discuss. A call or a WhatsApp chat to understand the machine and agree what's in scope.
2. Scope and quote. Written deliverables, price and dates.
3. First review. The single-line diagram and the first schematic pages, before the detail work starts.
4. Complete set. Schematics, layout, schedules and the BOM.
5. Approval and release. Your comments are closed out, and the PDF set and native files are released.
6. Changes during the build. Agree up front how changes made during wiring or on site come back: marked up on the PDF, then drawn as a new revision.

How to check the drawings you receive

• Every coil has its contacts cross-referenced, and every cross-reference points to a real page.
• Wire numbers are unique and match the terminal plan.
• BOM quantities match the devices in the schematics and on the layout.
• Protective devices and cable sizes suit the loads in your load list.
• The layout leaves room for wiring, ducts and heat, not just the devices.
• Tags on the PLC I/O pages match the I/O list in the PLC program.

Protecting your design

Sign an NDA before you share a customer's drawings, and agree in writing that the drawings and native files are yours once the final payment is made. If the job is confidential, keep the end customer's name off the shared files.

Working across time zones

The drawing work doesn't need overlapping hours. Inputs go into a shared folder, drawings come back for review, and comments are marked on the PDF. Short calls go in the hours that do overlap. The page on remote engineering for clients outside India shows the overlap with your time zone.

I draw panels in EPLAN Electric P8 and AutoCAD Electrical, remotely, to IEC and IS standards, and hand over the PDF set with the native files. Not sure which tool to ask for? Read EPLAN vs AutoCAD Electrical.