Exporting and Importing ECAD data (PBF)

Automation_Builder provides an ECAD interface for exchanging the PLC configuration data with EPLAN Electric P8 and Zuken E3. This feature removes double data entry between electrical engineering in the ECAD tool and the control logic programming in Automation_Builder by synchronizing the PLC hardware including topology and I/O signals between these tools.

Automation_Builder - ECAD interface supports various flexible workflows:

• Enables PLC hardware planning and configuration in the ECAD tool and allows importing the exported data from the ECAD tool through the PBF file (process integration bus interchange format) into the Automation_Builder project with diff and merge functionality, providing full control on selective import/merge.
• Enables PLC hardware configuration in Automation_Builder and allows exporting the configuration to the ECAD tool through a PBF file.
• Supports bi-directional roundtrip engineering with loss less data exchange between Automation_Builder and the ECAD tool.

Automation_Builder uses the rack information to identify the relations between:

• PLC and devices plugged to IO bus or extension bus.
• Fieldbus slave and attached IO devices.

It is recommended to assign the PLC, IO devices, communication modules and fieldbus slaves properly to the rack in the ECAD project. If the rack information is missing, devices will be imported to the device pool and must be arranged manually in the Automation_Builder project or mapped to already existing devices.

• Requirements on EPLAN Electric P8
• Importing PLC Data from the ECAD Tool
• Importing Third Party Devices
• Exporting PLC Data to ECAD Tool
• Exporting Third Party Devices
• Importing ECAD PLC Data to existing AB Project
• Arrange or Map Devices imported to the Device Pool
• Limitations