The plant design system M4 PLANT is a database-driven suite of powerful, multi-user plant engineering applications, providing the complete solution for every plant design or factory layout challenge. The system allows plant designers to plan and design complete process lines, plants or factories regardless of size.

Graphic routines

M4 PLANT has different tools to edit the exiting and to create new parametric graphic routines. These serve as the graphical basis for individual catalogue components and comprise the most variable parameters, e.g. for the nominal width of a flange. A graphic routine can also have different detail levels and thus represented with different details in M4 PLANT. For all commonly used types of pipelines, steel and cable ducts, air conditioning or conveyor components, M4 PLANT contains an extensive basis of graphic routines.

Catalogues

M4 PLANT contains extensive catalogues for all relevant maintenance groups. Individual parametric graphic routines are used in the software to create a catalogue of components that can be later used in the planning phase. A catalogue is a list of components in accordance with a DIN or an ANSI standard. In addition to standard catalogues stored in M4 PLANT, an administrator can create additional catalogues. Individual catalogues can be directly made available to a user or stored in the form of a global catalogue for multiple, simultaneous users.

Pipe classes and specifications

As a specifications-driven system, M4 PLANT can manage pipe classes or specifications for pipeline construction, air conditioning technology and cable ducts. A specification contains a defined selection of parts such as pipes, flanges, seals or cable channels. Pipe classes are used for the standards-compliant planning of pipeline construction. Pipe classes can be created and modified as per an industrial standard. A pipe class or specification contains all features and information that are decisive for the assigned parts, e.g. information about the materials used for individual parts.

Importing and exporting catalogue data

Catalogue data can be easily imported in and exported from M4 PLANT. The exported data records are edited, added in Excel and re-imported. Completely new catalogues can be also imported as a CSV file. In addition, complete catalogue packages can be imported. M4 PLANT also offers the option to import individual specifications.