Electrical design "Automatically complete tasks in seconds"

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The company WSCAD presented a new solution for electrical and control cabinet design utilizing artificial intelligence at the last SPS in Nuremberg (Germany). The editorial team spoke with CEO Dr. Axel Zein about the benefits and features.

Dr. Zein, at the SPS in Nuremberg, you presented Electrix AI as the world's first E-CAD solution with AI support. How was the response at the trade fair?

Axel Zein: The response was excellent. Many customers were impressed by the possibilities offered by our new software. They were particularly thrilled by the enormous productivity boost: tasks that previously required many manual steps can now be automatically completed in seconds.

How did you and your team come up with the idea? Was there a specific trigger?

The introduction of ChatGPT actually gave the decisive impetus. We immediately realized that we wanted to bring AI technology into electrical design. From then on, we worked with great dedication to integrate it into our E-CAD software.

How long did it take from the idea to market readiness?

A little over 12 months.

Wow—that was fast. What were the biggest challenges during the implementation?

Every new technology comes with its own hurdles. We had to try many things, discard them, and start again. For example, we revised our own AI model eight times until it met our requirements. This iterative process was sometimes painful but crucial for success.

At the heart of the innovation is the AI Copilot, a kind of virtual assistant. What exactly can one imagine from this?

As the name suggests, it is a copilot, an intelligent assistant and helper. It supports the electrical designer, taking over routine tasks but not the responsibility.

And what specific functions does Electrix AI offer?

The software assists users with operation, answers electrical engineering questions, places macros, creates evaluations such as terminal plans, material lists, or cover sheets. It searches for components and finds errors in the project, to name just a few examples.

Electrix AI is even supposed to be able to answer technical questions. How does that work?

The AI Copilot provides answers to technical questions in seconds. For example: "What wire cross-section do I need for a copper conductor with 32 A?" Such information is immediately available without the need to open a browser or search through a search engine or your documents.

You say that Electrix AI fundamentally changes design processes as they are conducted in electrical engineering. Can you give an example?

Yes. A beginner can now take on tasks that were previously reserved for experts—such as creating cover sheets, material lists, or terminal plans. This leaves the experienced designer with more time for complex, value-adding tasks. It increases efficiency, improves quality, and reduces stress.

What time savings are possible with Electrix AI?

Let's assume you are looking for a component, but don't know when and in which project it was last used. The normal procedure would be to open a project and search for the component. If the component is not in the project, then close the project and open the next one. And so, many minutes to hours can quickly pass. With Electrix AI, you simply ask the AI co-pilot, "In which project did I last use component 4711?" and have the answer in a few seconds.

A key aspect of AI is its ability to learn. What does that look like with Electrix AI?

The AI Copilot learns the user's way of working and adapts to their approach and preferences. This makes usage increasingly efficient and allows, for example, the mapping of their standards and those of the company.

How quickly can users get along with Electrix AI and work with it?

Anyone familiar with E-CAD and ChatGPT can get started immediately. For AI newcomers, we offer a four-hour training session, after which they are ready to use.

Isn't such a solution very expensive?

No, not with us. It is our declared goal to significantly ease the daily life of electrical designers. Therefore, the AI is included in all versions of our software at no extra charge.

What are the biggest advantages for companies, why should companies use Electrix AI?

The use of Electrix AI results in two key advantages. Firstly, there is a significant productivity gain. Electrix AI acts like a real productivity booster because, as mentioned, many tasks that were previously time-consuming and error-prone are now completed correctly in a short time. Secondly, our AI technology enables less experienced users to be productively involved in the design process. I'm thinking, for example, of apprentices, career starters, or employees without profound E-CAD knowledge. Imagine: An inexperienced employee is tasked with creating the cover page of a project, generating the material list and the terminal plan, and then forwarding the results to purchasing and production. Until now, this was rather a no-go. Today, a single instruction to the AI co-pilot, such as "Create the terminal plan, material list, and cover page," is sufficient, and the system provides the required results in no time. This newfound division of labor relieves experts and helps counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

Artificial intelligence is currently evolving very rapidly. Where do you think we will be in electrical engineering in five years?

Electrical CAD systems will automate routine tasks even more comprehensively and adapt even better to the individual requirements of users. The AI co-pilot will make personalized suggestions and automatically take into account a company's standards. Even for experts, work processes will become faster and more efficient. However, the real advantage for them lies in having more time and freedom for new and complex tasks. And this is precisely where the value creation and resulting competitive advantage of a company lie.

And what are WSCAD's goals for the next five years?

Our aim was and is to offer our users real added value for efficient electrical design. With the integration of AI into our software, we are pushing this vision further and we will continuously expand our position in the field of AI-supported E-CAD solutions.

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