Rittal opens doors of brand new Rittal Application Center

Rittal and Eplan unburden manufacturing companies across the entire value chain of sign construction

Rittal, a global player in enclosure technology and IT infrastructure, is opening the brand new Rittal Application Center (RAC) at its Belgian headquarters in Lokeren. Here, customers can try out the benefits of automation technology for their projects and discover new ways to increase the efficiency of their workflow. The speed and accuracy of the Rittal machine portfolio, bundled with the simplicity and user-friendliness of sister company Eplan's engineering software, unburdens industrial players across the entire board building value chain. 

"The Rittal Application Center provides practical answers to the most diverse technical questions facing manufacturers today. Here, panel building and switchgear manufacturers can bring in their projects and we work practically with them on customized solutions," says Mario Van Bever, Business Development & Marketing Manager at Rittal. "Our goal is to give our customers a competitive advantage and show them new development opportunities for the future. It's not just a demo space, but a live production space where the machines perform real-world customization to order. This enables them to meet today's challenges with an eye on driving efficiency and cost savings."

Relief from drawing to machining

By combining the power of hardware and software, the cooperation between Rittal and sister company Eplan relieves manufacturing companies along the entire value chain, from engineering to maintenance. With the engineering software EPLAN Pro Panel Eplan offers panel builders a convenient tool to start designing the interior construction of their enclosures themselves. The data from those drawings are then forwarded to the Rittal Application Center, where they are translated into a production order for CNC milling terminals, which automate panel machining. 

This Perforex cnc machines drill, tap and mill cutouts in mounting plates based on the necessary coordinates from 3D designs from Eplan. The operator only has to place the plate on the machine and push start. This automation not only saves a lot of time when drilling and milling, but also guarantees a quality finish and precision that a technician cannot match manually. In addition, the Secarex-machine in the RAC then again for fast, precise and ergonomic cutting of cable trays, cable tray covers and mounting rails.

Wire confection

The sense of automation at the Rittal Application Center extends beyond sheet metal fabrication. In the value chain, the processes were identified on which plate fabricators spend the most time manually. This made it clear that the demand for automation in terms of wire assembly is also growing. For this reason, Rittal developed the Wire Terminal, which, based on data from Pro Panel, cuts, prints and finishes all the necessary wires with a ferrule. That way, the cableur only has to connect the wires in the cabinet, which is a huge efficiency gain.

More efficiency for all

Automation requires an investment in technology, processes, services and materials. Many smaller manufacturing companies cannot make that investment. By forwarding their cabinet drawings via Pro Panel to the Rittal Application Center, where a combination of machines and experts provide for their customization, they can still harness the power of automation and digitization. In this way, with services, its own machine portfolio and the synergy with sister company Eplan, Rittal wants to throw open the gate to greater efficiency for as many manufacturing companies as possible.