We just took an ANSI D page and scaled it down to have the same aspect ratio of a 11 x 17 page.

In this article I will discuss the various plot frame considerations for NFPA users of EPLAN.

The IEC standard is an international standard and many companies in the USA are switching over to it now more than ever before.

Businesses are putting pressure on engineers to comply with international standards to bring down costs and to simplify design collaborations.

EPLAN comes with many sample plot frames but when you look at them through the eyes of an NFPA user, the list of offerings shrinks pretty fast.

EPLAN includes sample plot frames ranging in sizes from ANSI A to ANSI E, but most of these sizes are not really useful for electrical engineers.

As electrical engineers we have several additional considerations.

How do the symbols look on the page How many rows can I fit on a page What are the most common libraries in use.

EPLAN offers the same symbols for NFPA users in either a 12 inch or 8mm pin to pin pitch library.

The inch based symbols are physically larger and work best on larger page sizes such as ANSI D E, while the metric symbols are smaller and work best on smaller page sizes.

Once you select a symbol library to work with it is best if you do not mix the symbols from different NFPA libraries in a project, EPLAN can manage them but problems can arise.

The EPLAN data portal is a repository for manufacturers data and symbol macros for an ever growing number of commonly used part, Manufacturers create this data so that you dont have to.

At the time I created this document, there were 198 manufacturers on the EPLAN Data Portal and only one of them creates symbols that use the NFPA INCH library (NFPAsymbolenUS.sdb).

OK, its a pretty big manufacturer (A-B) but they also have the same parts and many more available with the NFPA mm symbol library (NFPAsymbol.sdb).

In EPLAN these complex issues are handled via an invisible network of page row paths, device origins and user project settings.

I mean a ANSI D or E sized Plan view of a project on 3-4 pages is one thing but printing a 30 page schematic for one control panel is quite another.

Back in the late 90s when large format office printers arrived, we just started to print everything to 1117.

Today I consider it the default print size for electrical drawings.

For graphics or other types of drawings, use the scale tools as you desire.

There are essentially a handful of page sizes which are used for NFPA designs which I will discuss now.

The symbols are getting a bit large for this page and it limits the number of circuits that you can show on a page.

We are also limited to designs with about 35 page rows because of the limited page height.

The design also gets VERY cramped should you decide to create pages with 2 ladders or rungs.

However, it is a standard ANSI page size which in many shops is a must have, so give it a look, it may work for you.

Eplan Symbol Library