“We are drastically simplifying implementation”
Published in PLC-MAGAZIN 05/2026, TeDo Verlag, www.sps-magazin.de
With the MX-System, Beckhoff has redefined the hardware architecture of automation and paved the way for control cabinet-free machines and systems. The company is now taking the next logical step: the MX-System Designer web-based engineering tool delivers a structured and technically validated electrical design right from the concept phase. Daniel Siegenbrink, MX-System product manager, reveals exactly how the Designer works and what added value smart project planning, plausibility checks, and the planned integration of AI also offer.
The MX-System has been around for approximately four years. What was the motivation to launch the MX-System Designer on the market now?
Daniel Siegenbrink: In practice, we are increasingly seeing that the MX-System is fundamentally changing the process of electrifying machines and systems. It was, therefore, a logical step for us to provide our customers with a tool that makes upstream planning much easier and brings it into the digital age. Another driver was our own experience in project planning for modular systems. We have processed almost 1,000 customer inquiries in recent years. Internal software was developed at an early stage to cope with this volume. Without it, we would not have been able to plan the individual solutions efficiently and prepare them in a comprehensible way for our customers. Another key factor is that we hope the Designer will act as a huge disseminator of MX-System syntax on the market. We are drastically simplifying the implementation of the solution. From now on, every user will be able to create their own individual solutions quickly and easily.
What were the specific challenges for Beckhoff in creating the tool?
Daniel Siegenbrink: For the first time, we are offering an in-depth engineering tool that can be accessed and used directly in a web browser. To achieve this, we had to develop and implement an intuitive operating concept. The conceptual approach is also completely new: The MX-System Designer is deliberately not a conventional product configurator. Rather than being a question of choosing single components, it is about planning the entire electrical architecture of a machine in a structured way – from power, control, and I/O level right through to the connected peripherals. The technical challenges of implementation were kept within reasonable limits, as the physical logic of the MX-System – with standardized interfaces, modules plugged and bolted onto baseplates – provides an excellent basis for a digital planning model. But we are only at the start here. The biggest architectural task was to cast a stable and scalable digital foundation on the basis of which we could easily implement additional features in the future. After all, it is usually more challenging to add a third story to an existing house than to plan a three-story building from the outset.
Do users need to have special engineering knowledge to use the tool? Is support available from Beckhoff if required?
Daniel Siegenbrink: Special software or IT knowledge is definitely not required to use the tool. The tutorial video on the Beckhoff website is absolutely sufficient. Users must know their machine and its required functionality – in other words, they must know which actuators, motors, and sensors are required. The rest, i.e., the translation into the system architecture, is largely done intuitively and carried out by the Designer. We know that customers who are already using the tool were able to get to grips with it right from the start. If there are any questions about topology, our specialists will of course be happy to help at any time.
Is there a charge for the tool? And what do users need to consider when using it?
Daniel Siegenbrink: The MX-System Designer is a purely online tool that runs on our servers. A local installation on the user’s computer is, therefore, not necessary. This is a huge advantage, as the software is available worldwide in an identical, up-to-date format, providing a standardized planning basis for machine builders, project managers, and electrical planners. It is completely free of charge to use. All you need is a standard MyBeckhoff account on our homepage, which is of course also free of charge.
With the software, is the design of the entire system in the hands of the machine builder, or does Beckhoff also play its part here?
Daniel Siegenbrink: Sovereignty over the system architecture should and always will be in the hands of the machine builder. With the MX-System Designer, Beckhoff is now essentially providing the digital framework and the intelligence in the background. The tool enables customers to act autonomously, quickly, and without errors; it reduces downstream adjustments in the engineering process and it visualizes the system structure.
What exactly can be planned with the MX-System Designer?
Daniel Siegenbrink: First, of course, the MX-System itself, i.e., the baseplates and all the function modules located on them. The entire bandwidth of IPC, drive, system, and I/O modules is fully integrated as standard. In addition, we are also integrating our decentralized peripherals – including the EtherCAT P Box modules in IP67. One particularly important aspect is the structured cable specification. The MX-System Designer enables suitable, pre-assembled cables to be selected. We are talking about almost 2,000 different connector combinations that can be proposed and selected in various lengths for connections between MX-System modules and motors or sensors. This makes the wiring process as transparent as possible right from the concept phase.
Does the software tool include a plausibility check with regard to the creation of the overall system?
Daniel Siegenbrink: Yes, in-depth plausibility checks are a central part of the functional scope and a truly unique selling point. The system automatically checks the key aspects of the electrical system design. This starts with obvious dependencies: If, for example, a 48 V servo drive is pulled onto the baseplate, the Designer immediately points out that a 48 V power supply must also be installed. Details like these are often overlooked in project planning in the heat of the moment. However, the tool goes far beyond this into deeper physics: It calculates the total power requirement of the system, checks the load distribution within the baseplate, monitors the power limits of the individual modules, and even calculates voltage drops over the defined cable lengths. In this way, we ensure that users only generate combinations that are technically permissible and functional.
Is the software modular, and do you plan to add more functions over time? If so, what could they be?
Daniel Siegenbrink: As with all new technologies from Beckhoff, we start with a solid, functional basis, continuously expand it, and add new features. The use of artificial intelligence is an obvious topic for us – we want to take the step from simple drag-and-drop functions to prompt-based system generation, where the user describes in words what the machine should do and the AI generates the initial system design. Topics such as the automated export of 3D CAD models of the fully configured MX-System station are also on the roadmap. However, the ultimate goal is maximum vertical integration: In the future, it should be possible to seamlessly transfer the structured visualization from the web tool to our TwinCAT Engineering environment in order to build a direct bridge from electrical hardware planning to software parameterization.