What is Industrial Control Panel Design?

What is an Industrial Control Panel?

An industrial control panel, sometimes referred to as a cabinet or chassis, is an assembly of hardware—both structural and electrical—that allows you to control and monitor industrial systems. Its function is largely dependent upon its design which is why it’s crucial to involve all teams across electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing in conversations early on into the design process. 

Industrial control panels (ICPs) contain a range of hardware—like switches, fuses, relays, and PLCs (programmable logic controllers)—that connect the internal electrical components to the electrical source, which enables these systems to work. Outside of the internal hardware, control panels also include an enclosure or cabinet. This is the structure that surrounds the internal components to provide physical and environmental protection to the control system. Often, the actual electrical power source will be outside the control panel’s enclosure, and wiring will be used to bring power into the control panel, which can then be modulated to meet the panel’s unique power requirements.

Key Factors for Designing Industrial Control Panels

There are a range of considerations that need to be taken into account when designing industrial control panels, and these considerations can be grouped into two main categories: design considerations and regulatory considerations. Let’s dive in.

Design Considerations

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Industrial control panels represent the synergy between the fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing. While each field has its own set of priorities and design considerations to make, each team’s decisions must occur through interdisciplinary collaboration. For example, if, during the design process, the design team learns that the factory floor in which their panel will be installed has less physical space than originally estimated, this size change can have implications for teams at all stages of the product development process—from design to manufacturing. 

There is also a high level of collaboration required between the electrical and mechanical teams. Electrical engineers will develop the schematic design and panel layout, specifying all of the wires and electrical components. Then, that information will be passed to the mechanical team to best arrange everything spatially within the physical panel enclosure. 

Each of these interactions requires back-and-forth communication between teams. Depending on the use case, material availability, and project prioritizations, the specific design considerations may vary but at its core, the design process will always be an iterative, collaborative process between teams. 

Regulatory Considerations

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Due to their ubiquity in critical industrial systems, industrial control panels have a host of related regulations that must be followed such as UL 508A, NFPA, ANSI, DIN, and IEC Research Standards and Codes—both during their design and in their implementation. These regulations range from rulings on allowed power threshold, to documentation detailing design specifications and rules that must be followed depending upon specific use cases. 

Ultimately, these regulations are intended to give a level of standardization to industrial control panel design in order to ensure safety and system integrity across all control panels regardless of the industry in which they are deployed. Engineers need to stay up to date on all recent revisions in order to ensure their designs are compliant with the latest regulations.

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Who is Involved in Industrial Control Panel Design?

Now, let’s explore some of the key responsibilities of the teams who collaborate to create industrial control panels.

Electrical Engineering

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Electrical engineers are responsible for schematic design and electrical system layout. They focus on designing the overall power and control systems along with necessary thermal and surge protection for all of the electrical components. Additional considerations include laying out the system so as to not place undue physical strain on wires and cables. Ultimately, these industrial control panels allow control and monitoring of industrial systems and processes. As such, the importance of supporting the electrical engineering teams throughout the industrial control panel design process cannot be overstated.

Mechanical Engineering

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While electrical engineering teams are responsible for determining how power will flow through the system, mechanical engineering teams are responsible for the overall system assembly and product design. A mechanical engineer may be responsible for a range of tasks including designing the panel’s enclosure/cabinet, mounting all components, and integrating components, conduits, wiring, and external loads such as pumps and motors. Mechanical engineers also are responsible for thermal management and servicing when designing the overall system.

Manufacturing

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Manufacturing is a critical team in the development of industrial control panels. They are often the team responsible for sourcing, modifying, and assembling the materials needed to produce the industrial control panels. The manufacturing team must be included in conversations surrounding design early on into the process to preempt potential roadblocks that may arise later in the manufacturing process. This helps streamline the overall production time and minimizes costly design changes later in the process. 

Where are Industrial Control Panels Used?

Almost every industry that deals with power systems, building and manufacturing, enterprise-level technologies, or industrial design employ industrial control panels. Below are just some of those industries.

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Our Solutions for Industrial Control Panel Design

SOLIDWORKS offers a range of industrial control panel (ICP) design tools in its SOLIDWORKS Electrical portfolio. Let’s take a look.

Let’s Dive Deeper

Industrial control panels have wide reaching applications spanning industries, use cases, and job titles. Below, we’ve collected some of our favorite resources that dive deeper into control panel design and its related applications to help you learn more.