Panel building still requires the hands and eyes of experts, both at the workstations and on the installation site. It has been proven that even wiring and marking contact points – tasks that have been carried out for decades – can be improved, thereby not only speeding up the work, but also making it more comfortable and less prone to errors. With its Workplace Solutions, Weidmüller has examined and optimised every work step.

 

The project planning and circuit diagram design work steps tie up more than 50 per cent of the working time during the planning stage. The reason for this is inconsistent engineering processes and increasingly complex requirements as a result of the growing project business. The many manual tasks for mechanical assembly and wiring during the installation stage account for more than 70 per cent of the working time. This is where the process-wide solutions from Weidmüller are advantageous.

 

Digital data consistency shapes the entire Weidmüller product range. Software tools support the user from the very first step. Data is recorded digitally from the start of the process and made available to all subsequent steps by means of M-Print PRO (marking), the Wire Processing Center (semi-automated cable assembly) and the Weidmüller Configurator (configuration). Each tool has CAE interfaces in order to make the data quickly and easily available in common engineering environments. By accessing the data generated during the planning phase, this reduces the error rate significantly, as no information is lost between the individual work steps and there is no need for manual processing. Digital consistency also speeds up reliable documentation, commissioning and maintenance work, as not only are all production steps tracked, but all the configurations can also be reproduced.

 

Standardisation and consistency are the top priorities, even for procurement, work preparation and storage, such as through the use of markers that are compatible across manufacturers to enable a clearly marked panel. Besides the tools used to plan and forward data, Weidmüller has also been giving a great deal of thought to ergonomics and efficiency at the workstation. As such, the offering is not restricted to individual components such as tools and measuring instruments. Weidmüller has focused upon the workstation as a whole, demonstrating it as a mobile workstation for cable assembly and a tool chest.

 

Cable assembly, wiring and marking activities in panel building are still time-consuming. There are fully-automated systems for large-scale production, however they are not suitable for the project business of panel builders, who often need to use classic tools. The Wire Processing Center (WPC) from Weidmüller fills in this gap between full automation and pure manual work – perfectly coordinated components that are housed on a mobile workstation. This means that the compact workstation can be moved around and positioned wherever it is needed. Improvised working at the panel and having to continually walk back and forth between the installation site and the workstation are things of the past. The WPC comprises a cutting machine, an automatic stripper and crimper and a thermotransfer printer. Furthermore, there are cable feeding systems for cable reels directly on the WPC or the feeding of upstream systems such as for larger cardboard boxes. A rack system for stockpiling consumables is also included. With the WPC, wire cross-sections from 0.5 mm2 to 2.5 mm2 (~ AWG 20 – 14) can also be processed.