September 2021

SIEMENS DIGITAL Industries Software has released a pair of software packages for designing automation systems and industrial electrical equipment. It says that the NX Automation Designer and NX Industrial Electrical Design tools can help manufacturers of production systems to manage design complexity, cut development lifecycles and increase the quality of their designs. Siemens adds that automation engineers will benefit from extended capabilities for generating sequences and safety programs, while electrical engineers will be able to work faster, with enhancements to connection handling and reporting, as well as new symbols for IEC, ANSI and fluidics, and 2D cabinet dimensioning. The new tools are part of Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio which helps users to harness digital twins to provide new insights and levels of automation. They can integrate with Siemens’Teamcenter PLM (product lifecycle management) software. However, users can begin electrical and automation design work without Teamcenter, thus avoiding the need for a complete PLM system. The scalability of the software allows users to start with a single module or combine different modules with each other. Wolfgang Schloegl, Siemens’vice-president of digital engineering, says that the integrated tool chain will allow even small enterprises to embrace digitalisation.“Through this tool chain,”he adds,“a significant efficiency enhancement can be achieved – in particular, when realising new products”. NX Automation Designer provides a multi-disciplinary design environment for production systems engineering, thus boosting productivity and lowering IT costs, and helping to address the growing consumer demand for product variety. One of the first applications of the new software is at the German machine-builder, Stima, which is using the platform to combine various disciplines – mechanical, electrical and automation – into one environment to manage projects more efficiently and to improve quality. The company is said to have cut engineering time by 45% through the consistent use of data across the different areas, and by creating more efficient workflows. www.plm.automation.siemens.com n TECHNOLOGY Tools boost the efficiency of automation and electrical design Siemens claims that its NX tools will improve the efficiency of designing automation and electrical equipment