Condition monitoring on powertrains
Condition Monitoring: Follow these four tips to start
Condition Monitoring for your machines doesn’t always have to be comprehensive and costly. Learn here about the various ways to start out with Condition Monitoring and which are the most useful for your situation.
Benefits of condition monitoring using vibration analysis are evident: early detection of defects, minimizing the risk of unplanned shutdowns and supporting proactive maintenance of machines. Condition Monitoring has been established as the best method especially for monitoring the powertrain. If you want to save some money, here are four tips you should remember:
1. Condition Monitoring – does it have to be the large-scale solution?
Online Condition Monitoring systems for the entire system, using integrated sensors and round-the-clock monitoring, are great – but they may not even be necessary for your machine depending on its risk classification. In a first assessment, estimate how likely a breakdown is and what damage could result from it. This gives you a good overview of your personal risk. Consider carefully what your monitoring goals are and which parts you want to monitor. Do you want to monitor the complete system with all roller bearings and gears for a comprehensive maintenance and cost savings – or is it enough for you to monitor a critical bottleneck aggregate to ensure system availability?
2. Vibration measurement: why you should hire a service provider
Measurement and analysis of vibrations, especially on the powertrain, is a leading condition monitoring methode next to analog measures like oil analyses. Vibrations measurements are performed on the running machine and are effective in detecting wear on drive shafts, roller bearings, gears or motors. They provide a good basis for focused maintenance and repair measures during the next planned machine shutdown. Acquiring costly measuring instruments is not necessarily profitable for smaller businesses. Contact us – we are a service provider with certified vibration measurement experts. We are happy to advise you on follow-up measures.
3. Condition Monitoring – when is it useful to use an online system?
There are both online and offline methods available for vibration measurement on your powertrain. Offline methods are suitable for detecting infrequent defects which can be noticed well in advance – that is, whose damage rate curves aren’t particularly steep. Online systems, on the other hands, are crucial for permanent monitoring, especially if you want to monitor problematic aggregates of your machine. If your risk assessment results in an elevated risk rating for your machine, that is, when the probability of damage as well as resulting consequences are severe, then you should consider an online condition monitoring solution. In this case, you can still find solutions which are cost-effective.
A full and expensive system with many sensors is not always necessary in the beginning. Nowadays, there are smaller online systems available with a limited number of sensors – easy to install and perfectly suited for limited monitoring,as a starter set for online condition monitoring or as a test system. Cloud solutions which are common for large-scale system are available as well. If you are familiar with data analysis, you could also monitor and analyse the data yourself when using these Cloud solutions. We will install the Condition Monitoring systems and all necessary sensors on your machine components. Preset alarm thresholds make it easier to interpret the data on your powertrain, for example. Cloud solutions for condition monitoring systems enable a 24/7 surveillance of your critical powertrain and aggregates from any location. Trends in your powertrain for engine rpm, acceleration, imbalance, alignment and BIAS can be compared during different time frames to give you a good overview over your machine’s current status and trends. Other well-established analysis methods are available for experts as well.
Cloud solutions for condition monitoring systems enable you to monitor all critical powertrains and aggregates 24/7 from any location.
4. Condition Monitoring: when does outsourcing pay off?
Normally, it is recommended to entrust condition monitoring experts with your analysis. The larger and more complex your machinery, the harder it is for employees to perform measurements and analyses on their own. At this point, companies should hire service experts for powertrain engineering and outsource monitoring for their machinery. We are a professional condition monitoring provider and in a first step, we will consult with your on the right strategy. We will either devise a custom monitoring solution for you or use an already established technology. Our experts offer you individualized solutions – if desired, even 24/7 monitoring with instant fault reporting, so you can respond to a defect immediately. If you need support with maintenance services or supply of replacement components for your powertrain, we are also happy to help you.
Conclusion
Diligent condition monitoring for your producing machinery is highly profitable, but it doesn’t always have to be the fully-integrated complete monitoring solution. The decision if you need offline or online monitoring, full or partial monitoring and internal or external analyses depends on the following factors: risk assessment of your machine, internal ressources and existing know-how in the company.
