World’s First AI-Generated Control Cabinet Debuts at SPS 2025

NUREMBERG, Germany – In a groundbreaking demonstration of industrial automation, WSCAD, Phoenix Contact, ABB, and häwa have jointly unveiled the world’s first artificial intelligence-generated control cabinet at the SPS 2025 trade fair. The live showcase presented a fully digital process chain—spanning from the initial circuit diagram to final physical assembly—marking a significant milestone for the future of control cabinet manufacturing.

For the project, Phoenix Contact provided the demonstration prototype and contributed its extensive expertise in detailed planning and production, overseeing the physical construction of the cabinet. The initiative relies heavily on high-quality product data sourced from wscaduniverse.com, ensuring that the digital twin matched the physical reality with precision.

The Vision: Smart Integration of Data and Production

Industry leaders emphasized that the collaboration represents a paradigm shift in how engineering data is utilized.

"The future of cabinet manufacturing lies in the intelligent and efficient integration of engineering data with both manual and automated production," said Sophia Hardek, Director of Product Marketing for Industrial Cabinet Solutions at Phoenix Contact. "By combining WSCAD’s engineering prowess with our expertise in detailed planning and production, we are creating genuine added value for customers."

Manfred Lindert, Head of Market Data Management at ABB Ltd., highlighted the critical role of digitized product information. "Digital product data is a priority at ABB," Lindert stated. "That is why we provide this data on the wscaduniverse.com platform and are continuously expanding our digital portfolio."

SPS 2025 Premiere: Electrix AI 2026 in Action

At the SPS exhibition, WSCAD provided a live demonstration of Electrix AI 2026, its next-generation design software. The presentation showed how AI-driven features can automatically generate a production-ready control cabinet layout directly from a digital circuit diagram, and subsequently, how that digital layout transforms into a physical cabinet.

For the first time, professional attendees witnessed how AI can drastically accelerate and simplify engineering and manufacturing processes in control and plant engineering.

The innovation is built on three core stages within Electrix AI 2026:

1. AI Copilot Interface: Acting as an interactive interface, the copilot accepts user commands and questions, delivering results in seconds.
2. Automatic Layout Generation: Proprietary AI models analyze circuit diagrams, identify components, select mounting plates and top-hat rails, and place devices. These models learn from user projects to generate production-ready layouts in mere seconds.
3. Digitization of Legacy Documents: When scanned paper or PDF documents are imported, the AI recognizes symbols, assigns components, retrieves component data, identifies connections, and reconstructs complete circuit diagrams.

Tasks that previously required hours of manual labor can now be automated in moments, significantly reducing production time and workload.

The Digital Process Chain in Practice

The live demonstration illustrated a seamless workflow:

• Assembly: Terminal strips were first transferred to the clipx Engineer software during the assembly process and configured automatically.
• Documentation: The data was re-imported into Electrix AI to generate Bills of Materials (BOMs), terminal diagrams, and wiring diagrams, which served as the foundation for subsequent production steps.
• Labeling & Wiring: Marking system software generated label data and printed device identifiers to ensure consistency. Wiring information was then sent to clipx Wire assist software, which guided operators through semi-automatic wire cutting, stripping, crimping, and labeling.

The result was a fully wired control cabinet completed in a fraction of the usual time.

Virtual Reality and Future Potential

Visitors to the häwa booth were also treated to a 3D model of the control cabinet. Using VR glasses, attendees could virtually walk through the complete setup, experiencing the digital twin before the physical unit was even finished.

Christian Rathgeber, Head of Business Development at WSCAD, underscored the significance of the joint effort. "We are thrilled to showcase a future-oriented cabinet structure live with our partners," he said. "The advantages are clear: AI-generated cabinet models, combined with the continuous application of generated data to labeling systems, wire production, and cabinet enclosures, save time and significantly reduce errors."

By presenting this market-ready, fully digital engineering and manufacturing solution at SPS 2025, the consortium demonstrated that the future of cabinet building is not just automated—it is intelligent, transparent, and entirely digital. Visitors watched in real-time as a complete cabinet component was created from planning data to a finished product in just a few minutes.