Why a standard product often reaches its limits.
Efficiency in the control panel construction
Reduce process costs
Plug & Play on the assembly line: Forget about the time-consuming equipping of parts and individual wiring on-site. We deliver your panel fully assembled, wired on the back and with a central connector (e.g. heavy-duty or M12) – including bus connection to your system.
Design excellence
Brand identity
The face of your machine: The panel is the first thing your customer touches. We realise front panels in your corporate colours, with illuminated logos and anodised or powder coatings as per customers request. With front panel materials adapted to your application from V4A to glass.
Intuitive user guidance
Ergonomics
Haptics meets high-tech: We combine touch displays with physical operating elements where a haptic actuation is mandatory or safety-relevant requirements exist. The optimal arrangement of the switches according to your ergonomic specifications ensures fatigue-free work.
Maximum resistance
Environmental protection
As tough as nails: Whether IP69K is required for the food industry or if there is need of robust aluminum for the machine tool industry – we choose the material and sealing concept being suitable for your application area.
From simple panel to complex HMI.
Level 1
Design finish, individual screen or digital printing, laser marking of functional descriptions, customised pushbutton colours.
Level 2
Functional integration, installation of displays, emergency-stop devices, RFID readers or key switches incl. complete internal pre-wiring on clamping strips or connectors.
Level 3
Fully customised system & modular bus intergration. Complete redesign and intelligent networking.
Full customised system & modular bus integration
Complete redesign and intelligent networking.
When standard geometries and conventional point-to-point wiring reach their limits, we develop comprehensive system solutions. This includes:
Electronic backplanes: Development of customised PCBs for mounting pushbuttons and switches to elimnate wiring errors and minimise the mounting depth.
Modular bus system (Schlegel concept): Integration of an intelligent node structure directly on the panel. Instead of controlling each control unit individually, we use a modular bus system with certified industrial-suited bus nodes (e.g. AS-Interface, CANopen, Profibus/Profinet Ethernet IP, IO-Link or EtherCAT).
Easy expandability: The system grows with your requirements. Additional command points can be integrated into the system through expansion modulesin without redesignin the entire panel.
Minimal wiring effort: Only one bus connection and the voltage supply are led out from the panel. This saves space inside the switching cabinet and reduces susceptibility to errors during final assembly.
Diagnostic capability: Thanks to the bus connection, you receive status information directly on the control level, which increases the maintenance friendliness of your system.
4 steps to a ready-to-install panel
Analysis & layout planning
In close cooperation with you, we plan your individual operating interface. During this step, we internally define all hardware requirements, the optimal placement of the components, the constructive design from the front to the back panel as well as the interfaces to your control.
Output: Initial layout design & interface definition.
Engineering & prototyping
The panel takes shape.We create the CAD construction and, on request, a 1:1 functional sample (or 3D print of it) in the form of a functional prototype to check the mounting situation and haptics for initial tests on the machine or your system.
Output: 3D files for integration into your machine model.
Quality & certification
Certified safety.Each panel is being tested as to its electrical safety and tightness. We support you in complying with all relevant standards. For every application, you receive a detailed data sheet for setup and for assigning the command points in the bus or cable harness.
Output: Test protocol & certificate of conformity.
Series delivery & logistics
Just-in-time to your production line.We produce your individual panel as series product – including 100% final control of all switching functions. Delivered ready to install, packed in accordance with the standards of the electronics industry.
Output: Your finished & customised HMI.You already have an enclosure and only need the assembled front panel? No problem. Our process is scaling with your needs – from single components to the overall system.
"The SCHLEGEL product series enables us to have individual control panels with standardised bus interfaces in an attractive design. Thanks to SCHLEGEL's innovative strength – also thanks to the professional cooperation for many years – an excellent solution for our SW control panels could be developed."
FAQ - Answers to your most important questions
Which data is required for a customised application to submit an initial quotation?
- Dimension of the front panel by means of a rough sketch
- Number and kind of pushbuttons/switches
- The required bus system or system connection
- Quantity
From what quantity is a customised panel feasible?
Thanks to modern production processes such as CNC milling and digital printing in combination with 3D printing, individual front panels are economically feasible from 1 piece. For fully assembled and wired systems, the one-time engineering costs usually pay for themselves even in case of small series of 5–10 units per year due to the massive savings in your internal assembly time.
Which materials are available for the front panels?
We primarily produce front panels made of aluminum (anodised or powder-coated), stainless steel (polished or bead-blasted) as well as various plastics and also glass. The choice of material depends on the required chemical resistance, the mechanical stress and the cleaning cycles in your industry.
Are the panels delivered pre-wired?
Yes, our spectrum ranges from a conventionally wired construction with a cable harness and industrial-grade connector to a complex system connections via standardised industrial bus systems – so that the panel only needs to be connected to the machine.
How are inscriptions and logos added?
Depending on the requirement, we use the multi-colour sub-anodised printing (solvent-resistant), UV digital printing (for multi-coloured logos), laser engraving (abrasion-proof) or classical engravings with colouring. We choose the method that fits your requested lifetime and the environmental conditions.
Can components of third-party suppliers be integrated?
Yes. We assemble our own control units as well as the components, displays or controls from other suppliers that have been selected by you. In this case, we will handle the mechanical integration and, on request, also the electrical system integration.
How is the IP rating ensured?
Depending on the construction, sealing is achieved via circumferential seals (e.g. foam rubber or silicone), flat adhesive connections or special sealing frames for built-in components. We test in-house the compliance with the degrees of protection (e.g. IP65 or IP67) through standardised test procedures.
Will I receive a sample before series production?
After technical fine-tuning, you have the option of ordering a prototype or a unit for approval to validate the fit, haptics and the system connection to your machine.
How do you handle changes during the product's lifetime cycle?
Thanks to the 100% in-house development of the operating unit, all product-specific data is directly available. Changes can be implemented agilely and batch-based. We maintain a version management to ensure the reproducibility of your specific configuration.
Can various interfaces be integrated into customised solutions?
Yes, Schlegel supports various bus systems and interfaces, e.g. Profibus, AS-Interface, IO-Link, CANopen, EtherCAT, Profinet, Ethernet IP or even customised conventional wirings.
