EDP Interface Plates 🔩📐

interface plates that mount to container end walls and organize all power, comms, and fluid connections

Architecture Context

rectangle container_a
rectangle container_b
rectangle plate_a
rectangle plate_b
rectangle flexible_assembly

container_a -r- plate_a: receiver frame (welded)
container_b -l- plate_b: receiver frame (welded)
plate_a -r- flexible_assembly: liquid-tight conduit\nM12 connectors\ncooling QDs
flexible_assembly -r- plate_b

Containers are placed face-to-face. Plates mate as a pair via flexible assemblies — there is no hard-dock interface. Containers tolerate ±25mm horizontal and ±10mm vertical misalignment, absorbed by hose/cable service loops.

Power Path

External BESS  →  BG  →  Grid Container  →  CG  →  Compute Container (415Y/240V AC)

Grid container always present. PCS lives in grid container when BESS is DC-coupled; when AC-coupled the BESS lands on grid switchgear directly.

Plate Variants

Variant codes follow [Container A][Container B]-[Coupling]-[String/Port Count] where applicable.

Variant	Used When	Carries	Plate Codes
BG-AC	External BESS lands AC at grid container (Tesla Megapack, Tesla Megablock, CATL EnerOne with integrated PCS)	AC feeder, grounding, data	BG-AC (conduit sized from BESS AC interconnect spec)
BG-DC	External BESS lands DC at grid container; PCS lives in grid container (CATL EnerOne, external PCS)	DC bus, grounding, data	BG-DC-2, BG-DC-4, BG-DC-8 (per BESS string count)
CG	All deployments	AC feeder (415Y/240V) + data	CG (fixed, conduit sized from sizing engine Module F)
CD	All deployments (1:1 Compute:Drycooler)	Coolant supply/return + drycooler comms (VFD Modbus, fan tach, leak sensor)	CD (QD port size [OPEN] pending GPU vendor DLC spec)
EX-G	All deployments	External site services on Grid Container long wall	EX-G
EX-C	All deployments	External site services on Compute Container long wall	EX-C

See the spec doc for full penetration schedules per variant.

Material & Finish

Parameter	Standard	Defense (deployment_context == defense_forward | sovereign_government)
Outer dimensions	640mm × 840mm	same
Thickness	6mm	10mm
Material	6061-T6 aluminum (ASTM B209)	5083-H116 marine grade (ASTM B209)
Finish	Type II anodize 15–25 μm (MIL-A-8625)	Type III hard anodize 40–60 μm
IP rating	IP55	IP65 (verified per MIL-STD-810H Method 506)
Secondary seal	none	10mm closed-cell EPDM backer
Fasteners	Zn-plated steel M10 (ASTM F593 G1)	316 SS M10 (ASTM F593 G2)

Output Artifacts

For every plate variant required by a deployment, the implementation outputs:

1. DXF file — 2D fabrication drawing with plate outline, all hole/cutout locations dimensioned from plate center, gasket groove cross-section, mounting hole pattern with thread callouts, ARCNODE title block (part number, variant code, revision, material spec, finish spec).
2. BOM line item — structured JSON referencing the drawing:

   {
     "part_number": "ARC-PLT-BG-DC-4-001",
     "description": "Interface Plate, BESS-to-Grid DC-Coupled, 4-String",
     "qty": 1,
     "material": "6061-T6 aluminum",
     "finish": "Type II anodize",
     "drawing_ref": "ARC-PLT-BG-DC-4-001.dxf",
     "type": "custom_fabrication"
   }

3. Penetration schedule — table of every hole/cutout: penetration ID, X/Y center coordinates from plate origin, diameter or W×H, fitting spec, OTS part number.

Part Numbering

ARC - PLT - [VARIANT CODE] - [REVISION]

Examples:
  ARC-PLT-BG-AC-001       BESS-Grid, AC-coupled
  ARC-PLT-BG-DC-2-001     BESS-Grid, DC-coupled, 2-String
  ARC-PLT-BG-DC-4-001     BESS-Grid, DC-coupled, 4-String
  ARC-PLT-BG-DC-8-001     BESS-Grid, DC-coupled, 8-String
  ARC-PLT-CG-001          Compute-Grid
  ARC-PLT-CD-001          Compute-Drycooler         [OPEN: QD port size]
  ARC-PLT-EX-G-001        External site services, Grid Container
  ARC-PLT-EX-C-001        External site services, Compute Container

Defense variants append `-D`:
  ARC-PLT-BG-DC-4-001-D

Toolchain

The fabrication flow is CadQuery-based:

parametric model.py (CadQuery) → STEP → DXF + GD&T drawing → BOM line item + penetration schedule

uv sync
uv run poe build              # CadQuery → STEP per variant
uv run poe validate-model     # BRep validity + bbox vs spec
uv run poe generate-drawings  # DXF + GD&T PDF per variant
uv run poe sim                # IP rating verification fixtures

Open Design Parameters

#	Parameter	Impact
1	GPU vendor DLC loop architecture	CD plate QD port size and count
2	Dry cooler pipe connection size	CD plate flange size
3	4,160V AC option	CG conduit sizing changes significantly at MV
4	MV grid cable entry	EX-G plate penetration sizing
5	BESS DC string voltage class (1500V vs 800V)	BG-DC isolation distance + bus rating
6	BESS AC interconnect voltage (480V vs MV)	BG-AC conduit + bushing class