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Schneider Electric Case Study

Mavrix Welding AutomationNew Berlin, Wisconsin

Welding Automation OEM Grows Business With More Flexible Machine Design

By Glen Senger, President, Mavrix Welding Automation and Ashish Patwardhan, OEM Material Working Segment Manager, Schneider Electric

In Brief

GoalBuild a machine with high-end capabilities

and modular design that allows for

flexible machine configuration without

changing the mechanical components

of the machine.

SolutionSchneider ElectricTM automation solutions

helped Mavrix build a machine with greater

intelligence and modular design to ensure

repeatable operation, enabling Mavrix

to design, develop, and commission

machines faster while achieving higher

volumes and maintaining quality and

robustness of the machines.

Results• Greater machine adaptability and flexibility

• Simple operation

• Ability to expand the equipment design

• Greater productivity

Products Featured• ModiconTM M258 PAC

• MagelisTM GTO Advanced HMI

• SoMachineTM Programming Software

BackgroundThe scarcity of skilled labor has created a growing trend in the use of

automation for many manufacturing applications. When welding operators

are scarce, manufacturers must turn to automation to keep up with

customer demand.

Mavrix Welding Automation in New Berlin, WI, designs custom welding

machines for metal buildup, hardfacing, and metal spray applications used

in heavy-duty applications, such as metal recycling, cement, rock crushing,

dredging, oil and gas, and steel mills.

As a small, family-owned original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Mavrix

must be more flexible than the larger manufacturers to stay competitive.

President Glen Senger doesn’t have the luxury of turning down a customer

order just because it is a complex request.

“We are always willing to take on new opportunities and stretch our abilities,

and that sometimes means expanding our products,” Senger said. “Customers

like our products and ask us back again to do a little bit more the next time.”

ChallengeFor 26 years, Mavrix built its welding lathes with a proprietary circuit board

controller utilizing DC motors and drives with potentiometers. This solution has

been reliable throughout the years, but to meet expanding customer demands,

a more modular design with high-end capabilities required the power and

flexibility of a PLC.

The challenge was in the machine design itself. To maintain reliability of the

machine and minimize redesign, Senger decided to change only the controls

of the machine while leaving the mechanical components intact. This would

save on design and manufacturing time and reduce costs for additional

parts stocking.

“Our customers trust the reliability of the components we use to make our

equipment work with great uptime,” Senger said. “So my commitment was

to only change the front end of the machine and how the operator interacts

with the machine. The back end, such as the motors, drives, and wire

feeder, had to be the same. We didn’t want to introduce a lot of new components.”

Mavrix Welding Automation | 2

Schneider Electric Case Study > Mavrix Welding Automation

“Having a machine with greater intelligence to ensure repeatable operation

gives manufacturers the advantage to achieve higher volumes and get the

same results time and time again,” Senger said. “It’s critical to have a machine

that can hardface (apply wear-resistant weld metals to a part’s surface)

precisely and reliability.”

Repeatability is only as good as the operator setting the dials on the

potentiometers, which control axis speeds, wire feed, and voltage. A

programmable system with setup management allows operators to easily

save and recall empirical machine setups for different parts. This ensures

consistency and quality, which is important in an ISO-certified facility.

The SolutionAs a small shop, Mavrix doesn’t have idle resources for programming and

design. For assistance finding a solution and selecting a platform that

would work seamlessly with the rest of the components, Mavrix turned to

Schneider Electric. Schneider Electric also helped identify a local system

integrator partner, Temple Control Systems of Milwaukee, to design and

deliver the new control system.

“I wanted to cut down on how much research I needed to do and call a

partner that already had the know-how. That’s where the knowledge base

of Schneider Electric was so important,” Senger said. “The success of our

transition into the PLC world was based on the local support we got from

Schneider Electric and the quality of the components we use,” Senger said.

“If I didn’t have that team of resources doing this project, I would have

missed my deadline and jeopardized the quality of the end product.”

“ Having a machine with greater intelligence to ensure repeatable operation gives manufacturers the advantage to achieve higher volumes and get the same results time and time again.”

— Glen Senger, President, Mavrix Welding Automation



Control Panel



To handle the digital and analog I/O requirements, including high-speed

encoder inputs and pulse train outputs, the Modicon M258 controller

was the right solution. The M258 is compact with embedded Ethernet

and an advanced instruction set that makes it very adaptable.

Paired with the M258 controller is the Magelis GTO advanced touch screen.

The GTO features embedded Ethernet and includes all necessary built-in

tools for machine interface plus recipe management, alarm management, user

security, and screen snapshot. Together, the M258 controller and the GTO

touch screen provided all necessary functionality to deliver the solution.

SoMachine is the all-in-one OEM solution software used to bring the

whole system together. A single software for developing, configuring, and

commissioning the entire machine including logic and operator interface.

SoMachine is one package with one project file, one cable, and one download.

SoMachine supports the IEC 61131-3 programming languages and provides

all standard data types, functions, and function blocks necessary for machine

control and can be extended with user defined objects.

Adaptability Is Key

Mavrix needed a solution that was adaptable so it would be easy to add

capabilities to the machine when customers required it. In the past, when a

customer requested additional functionality on the machine, like an additional

temperature or speed controller, it required mounting a new device in the panel,

which was time consuming and costly.

Today, the Schneider Electric solution provides adaptability. To add an axis

or new capability to the machine doesn’t necessarily require rework of the

control panel. Functionality modifications can be addressed in programming.

This improves Mavrix’s time to market.

The controller allows Mavrix to control multiple axes, which can be turned on

and off depending on the machine configuration. Each option can then be

turned on and off via the touch screen at runtime depending on the specific

machine configuration. After configuration, the human-machine interface

(HMI) only displays parameters that are relevant. Having a single template

project with selectable options provides consistency and simplifies program

version management.

Mavrix HMI Run Screen

The Schneider Electric solution provides adaptability. To add an axis or new capability to the machine doesn’t necessarily require rework of the control panel. Functionality modifications can be addressed in programming.



“We save time now because we’ve already designed the panel layouts and

PLC programs that are developed on a single platform, so they can be used

for future machines, even beyond just welding lathes,” Senger said.

Simple Operation

Compared to the toggle switches used in the old design, the Magelis touch

screen provides a lot of information to the operator. It provides all the same

controls plus system status and fault messaging so operators can easily

troubleshoot problems and take action to minimize downtime.

“Previously, operators had to use speed pots to tweak set points. Now they just

enter the values into the touch screen and the controller accepts it,” Senger

said. “It has taken some of the black magic out of the commissioning of the

machine because the capabilities are more inherent into the system already.”

Mavrix VRW

It provides all the same controls plus system status and fault messaging so operators can easily troubleshoot problems and take action to minimize downtime.



Operator ease-of-use was another key factor in Senger’s design requirements.

The new control system needed to have a similar look and feel to the older

circuit-board-based machines so that operators didn’t have to be retrained.

The touch screen was laid out to match the toggle switches and lights on the

older machines, thus reducing the transition for operators.

“The customers love the touch screen and can navigate easily because it’s laid

out the same way,” Senger said. “We wanted to make sure any operator could

walk over and run our new machine because it has the similar look, feel, and

terminology as our older equipment.”

Future Looks Bright

Mavrix expects to be a bigger player in welding automation by developing

more custom applications for hardfacing. Having the flexibility to expand its

equipment design will keep the company in the running with larger competitors.

“The new PLC-based equipment is an important part of our company’s

flexibility,” Senger said. “Now I can build a machine that does exactly what

the bigger OEMs can do. We will have more opportunities.”

Another reason Mavrix chose Schneider Electric is because it’s a globally

recognized brand.

“When I present this new solution to customers, their heads shake with familiarity

because they use Schneider Electric products already,” Senger said. “When we

serve customers out of this country, we won’t have many challenges with service

and parts because Schneider Electric has locations around the world. Partnering

with a brand that is globally accepted and available is one of the big factors in

helping me win business and take our business to the next level.”

“ When we serve customers out of this country, we won’t have many challenges with service and parts because Schneider Electric has locations around the world.”

— Glen Senger, President, Mavrix Welding Automation

Schneider Electric provides comprehensive energy solutions

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June 2015

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