AUTOMATED Control Cabinet Design
✔ Efficient Use Of Resources
✔ Low Maintenance Effort
✔ Valid Layouts – Guaranteed
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At a glance:
- Automatically places operating equipment
- Automatically dimensions cable ducts and mounting rails
- Minimizes control cabinet sizes
- Observes layout rules
- Offers integration and data exchange with existing ECAD solutions (e.g.: EPLAN EEC)
Advantages:
- Saves time in design (no manual placing of components)
- Reduces costs in control cabinet construction
- Provides immediate results
- Allows for low maintenance for new equipment / configurations
The algorithms and methods behind SwitchLay are rooted in over 25 years of research by colleagues at GFaI e.V. in the field of optimization (problems in discrete mathematics).
Optimization using discrete mathematics is particularly well-suited for the layouting of control cabinets, as they are composed of a limited number of discrete components. These components must be placed within a confined space, considering various constraints and requirements such as spatial limitations, minimum distances, optimal connection lengths, and efficient cable routing.
Discrete optimization algorithms can analyze these complex layout problems by selecting from a limited number of possible arrangements the one that best meets specific criteria. Additionally, GFaI has developed the so-called pattern method. This approach involves using pre-defined templates (patterns) for cable duct structures to flexibly adjust the placement of components while maintaining a certain structure.
In 2015, a globally active pump manufacturer contacted GFaI after reading about our research work in scientific publications and expressed interest in using the developed algorithms for their control cabinet planning. Since 2017, the solution has been in productive use in the pump manufacturer's EPLAN EEC.