Condition Monitoring can be so easy

Condition Monitoring - or even Predictive Maintenance - are #IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) buzz words. In the factory of the future and already in modern manufacturing it represents an important function to increase #OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency). Definitely, it can be very powerful, but why should I start monitoring the equipment's condition and how does it help to make me more successful?

Information about the condition of your equipment make your operations and maintenance better

Knowing about the current condition of the machines at any time allows you to service the equipment only when needed (before it fails) and not in fixed intervals or in case of failure. This leads to some major advantages:

• Increased productivity as there is no unexpected downtime
• Less time needed for maintenance because it is planned and prepared and spare parts already sourced
• Quality is stable, because the condition of the equipment can be kept stable and does not lead to decreasing quality over time.

With algorithms this can even be used to predict how long the machine can be used before a failure occurs or the quality of the produced parts is impacted. Ultimately, Predictive Maintenance is the next level of Condition Monitoring.

There is a lot of old equipment in the field.

New equipment (#greenfield) often comes with #conditionmonitoring onboard. But there are many manufacturing companies with old equipment. With good reason, because machines are designed for long life. So, the challenge is to add condition monitoring functions #brownfield. First, accessing the machine: Using the machine control to add condition monitoring is difficult because of the risk of changing the machine's configuration by accident. Second, operators need to understand the logic of the machines of multiple brands in a manufacturing line which adds complexity. Finally there is a legal aspect (liability) in case of machine failure.

Condition Monitoring as a retrofit solution

One approach is to add a complete condition monitoring system that runs independently from the control system and allows a quick start in condition monitoring. There is not much needed:

1. A base unit (small computer) that collects the sensor signal from the different places of the machine. This base unit integrated in the network. From there, the health information is accessible from anywhere in the world.

1. Software enables you to collect all sensor data and visualize it on site. A dashboard is automatically created and configured based on the existing sensor data. This saves a lot of time and effort when commissioning the system. It makes it possible to display the data on different end devices, so that the information is readily available in the automation world of your company. Beyond that, it is possible to get trend analyses or to set limit values.

1. Sensors. Most common are sensors that measure #vibration, #pressure, #temperature, #level or #flow. Some sensor even measure multiple values. One example is the Balluff Condition Monitoring Sensor. With the #iolink interface the condition monitoring system can be configured automatically.

Plug and play - automated dashboard

Finally this is a really quick set up of a condition monitoring system. It offers Plug-and-play commissioning of the system and visualization of the data immediately.

More information can be found here: https://cmtk.innovating-automation.tech/en/cmtk-system/ or just watch this video: