ELECTRIX AI: Artificial intelligence as a productivity game changer for electrical design

Cover Story in PBSI – Panel Buidling & System Integration (03-2025)

“We’ve measured time savings of up to 99 percent on certain design tasks. The ability to simplify complex steps dramatically unlocks a whole new level of productivity.”

With skilled labour in short supply and costs on the rise, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a game changer. WSCAD is leading the way as the first company worldwide to integrate AI into its electrical CAD software, ELECTRIX AI.

The result: electrical design now is much faster, more precise, and significantly less labour-intensive. Less experienced users can use the software easily and get quick answers to technical questions, while seasoned professionals can tackle complex tasks with greater speed and ease. That means less stress and more time for creative and strategic work. “ELECTRIX AI is revolutionising the way electrical design is done,” says Axel Zein, CEO and driving force behind WSCAD’s AI development. “We’ve measured time savings of up to 99 percent on certain design tasks. The ability to simplify complex steps dramatically unlocks a whole new level of productivity.”

Delegate routine tasks and save time

At the core of WSCAD’s innovation is the AI Copilot. One click is all it takes for AI to assist you in your daily work via a chat box. The software responds to text commands, checks designs, analyses projects and corrects errors. “Instead of manually designing, engineers can now delegate time-consuming, repetitive tasks to the AI Copilot” explains Axel Zein. “Generating a BOM or placing macros and components only takes a fraction of the time.” Previously, generating a bill of materials in WSCAD required over 10 clicks – while some competitor products needed more than 20. Now, simply typing “generate BOM” gets the job done. The same goes for terminal diagrams. You can even run both commands simultaneously, and they’re completed in seconds. Or, you simply click one of the predefined prompts and you are done. Electrical engineers no longer need to know the software’s menu structure or how to navigate it.

A game changer for solving workforce shortages and time constraints

ELECTRIX AI comes pre-equipped with electrical engineering knowledge. Less experienced employees can now take on more complex tasks, instantly enhancing their abilities. At the same time, skilled professionals can finish their work much more quickly, allowing them to focus more on innovation and high-impact projects. “The shift in workflow created by AI is not just a boost in productivity – it’s a gamechanging solution to the two biggest challenges in the industry: time pressure and the skilled labour shortage,” says Zein.

Instant assistance: Instead of asking colleagues for help, searching through manuals, or navigating help menus, users can now ask the AI Copilot, “How do I change the colours in the cabinet?” or “How do I enable or disable snapping?”. A traditional search through the help pages would take 50 to 60 seconds, while calling support would take even longer. AI Copilot delivers the answer in just a few seconds.

Finding errors in a project: When new projects are partially composed of existing designs using copy and paste, necessary adjustments can be overlooked. In these cases – and, of course, after any design work – a verification run must be initiated. What might take an experienced engineer valuable time is now resolved in seconds by the AI Copilot. With the simple command “Find the errors in my project”, AI Copilot analyses the entire schematic, identifying missing assignments, main elements without assigned sub-elements, open connections, and symbols without assigned articles.

Placing macros: Instead of manually searching for macros and inserting them into electrical schematics, users can now use AI Copilot to perform this job. A command like “Place the macros CPU, PLC-DA, PLCDE, and PLC-Potentials on a new page” is executed in only 15s, compared to five minutes (300s) using traditional methods.

Utilising ELECTRIX AI’s electrical engineering knowledge: Whether determining wire cross-sections, selecting materials, or finding specific product details, ELECTRIX AI knows the answers and delivers them instantly. Need to determine the correct cross-section for a 64A copper or aluminium conductor? Instead of searching the internet or calculating, just click on the relevant wire in the schematic and type, “Give me a blue copper wire, 24V DC, 64A”, and instantly, a 16mm² wire with the correct attributes will appear on your cursor. This speeds up the design process and ensures accuracy, as ELECTRIX AI knows the required wire section.

“Generating a BOM or placing macros and components only takes a fraction of the time. Previously, generating a bill of materials in WSCAD required over 10 clicks – while some competitor products needed more than 20. Now, simply typing “generate BOM” gets the job done.”

No additional costs

All AI-driven features in ELECTRIX AI are included at no extra cost in the normal subscription licence. WSCAD is making sure that this new technology is accessible to everyone – from small businesses to large enterprises.

WSCAD will be showcasing its software solutions, including ELECTRIX AI, at:
• Machine Building Live North, 10th April 2025, Booth 11
• Drives & Controls 2025, 4–5th June 2025, NEC, Birmingham, Booth 5/310