Brandon Snell Beckhoff’s fully machine mountable MX-System helps window profile processing machine OEM eliminate control cabinets and change the game in their industry Many tough jobs, one profile processing machine In this 14-meter-long Schirmer machine for PVC window profile processing, all previously required control cabinets were replaced with the MX-System for the first time. Traditional control cabinets hamper production processes When Martinschledde and the design engineers at Schirmer heard about the possibilities of completely control cabinet-free automation with the Beckhoff MX-System in 2021, they were intrigued. “The design engineers and Ludger immediately recognized the potential of the MX-System for their modular machine building projects,” recalls Daniel Siegenbrink, MX-System Product Manager at Beckhoff. The window opens to cabinet-free machine design The back of the system is particularly interesting for automation engineers, as each machine module has its own MX-System baseplate where the various function modules are plugged in and set with screws. Double-row baseplate of the MX-System: The open installation on the base frames simplifies machine wiring and diagnostics. Speedy and efficient deliveries to end users The Schirmer loading magazine only requires two 48 V servo drives and a few digital signals, for which the compact single-row MX-System baseplate with 12 data slots for MX modules with 24/48 V DC supply voltage is ideally suited. “The MX-System allows us to add value throughout our manufacturing processes and achieve highly efficient production,” explains Ludger Martinschledde, Schirmer Maschinen GmbH (right), pictured alongside Daniel Siegenbrink, MX-System Product Manager at Beckhoff. The use of the Beckhoff MX-System has resulted in significant advantages and optimizations throughout the entire process chain at Schirmer. This includes a reduction in the previous workload for electrical planning by around 50%, as the usual two to three weeks of assembly time for conventional control cabinet design was cut down to just a few hours of system assembly. Martinschledde also expects a significant reduction in downtime during the final assembly stage. The new machine was presented for the first time at Fensterbau Frontale 2024, the world’s leading international trade show for windows, doors, and facades. The demonstration of the machine was a huge success and Martinschledde believes that this will certainly not be the last system of its kind in a new era of control cabinet-free automation: “Schirmer will continue to rely on this innovative solution from Beckhoff. We are fully on-board with transitioning our machines to control cabinet-free automation with the MX-System, and this will also apply to the machines for aluminum and steel profiles in the future.” Brandon Snell is the MX-System Product Manager at Beckhoff Automation LLC.