Intelligent Equipment Solution Examples: Condition Monitoring for Preventive Maintenance
In manufacturing, producers must manage solutions that keep them competitive on a global scale. Addressing the underlying risks in system improvement and preventive maintenance is therefore critically important — it allows operation to be predicted in advance, maintenance to be planned, and manufacturers to be confident in the performance of their equipment and machinery.
Mitsubishi Electric, together with Schaeffler, offers an integrated approach to monitoring equipment condition. Data is transferred automatically over an Ethernet network via iQ, iQ-F and L-series MELSEC Smart Controllers up to the higher data levels. It is an integrated solution that gathers real-time data from advanced measurement sensors for analysis across multiple levels of the management system.
∎ Standard monitoring of conventional machine and process parameters such as temperature, pressure or operating hours
∎ An advanced approach to Smart Condition Monitoring (SCM) with the Schaeffler SmartCheck sensor — a compact, independently operating modular measurement system for permanent machine monitoring
∎ SCM, an intelligent online monitoring system, detects changes in machine condition while linked to the control system, and can issue advance warnings to prevent stoppages and production losses
∎ SCM sensors detect vibration in order to alert maintenance staff
∎ A learning function allows the SCM sensor to teach itself by building a memory map of vibration and applying sophisticated analysis techniques, enabling the sensor to detect abnormal operation locally
∎ Incomplete SCM sensor links can be adapted to the controller so the equipment understands the full area to be monitored, using either wired or wireless methods
∎ Pre-programmed controllers and operator displays make the system easy to install and configure. The system issues real-time alerts and presents data graphically, making it clear and easy for maintenance staff to interpret
The Pulp and Paper Industry with Condition Monitoring
Paper with special characteristics produced by specialist coating is typically used for receipts and tickets. Roughly 300 tonnes of paper must pass through the coating machine at the plant every day, handled by a four-tier machine running at speeds of up to 1,730 metres/minute. The coater has 26 fans, each consisting of an air-blowing fan and an air-extraction fan, which ensure the coated paper dries without contact. The blowing fans push air at up to 250 degrees Celsius into the machine, while the paper itself must not exceed 68 degrees Celsius — above that it reacts and discolours.
In the surface coating machine, the mill produces paper using Pre-Coat and Top Coat processes to achieve the required heat-dissipation characteristics, coating the paper surface completely without contacting the work. Running the rotating fans at 1,500 rpm creates imbalance and causes the bearings to wear prematurely, which in turn harms production if any one of the extraction fans stops working.
Condition Monitoring Solutions for Preventive Maintenance Problems in the Pulp and Paper Industry
∎ Advance warning of bearing outer-ring problems
∎ Easy installation
∎ Flexible system expansion
To solve this problem, 26 SmartCheck sensors from Schaeffler monitor those fans by measuring vibration. The SmartController, used together with a Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC L-series PLC, acts as a bidirectional gateway between the controller and the sensors — and unscheduled shutdowns can therefore be avoided.
Wastewater Treatment Plants with Condition Monitoring
Failures that could be detected
∎ Gear wheel defects detected four months after the problem beganInstallation
∎ System from a Mitsubishi PartnerApplication
∎ Three Archimedes-screw pumps with gearboxes, backup equipment, SCM with Schaeffler SmartCheck sensors, the iQ Automation platform, analog values, telemetry access and a connection point for SCADA ∎ Gearbox service life extended by a further 1–3 yearsSugar Mills with Condition Monitoring
Installation
∎ System Integrator supported by Mitsubishi AutomationApplication
∎ A sugar refining machine fitted with the SCM Kit-1 COMPACT and four SmartCheck sensors∎ Buffer time during a 10-minute stoppage
Amusement Parks with Condition Monitoring
Failures that could be detected
∎ The ride had to be shut down for around 2 hours 30 minutes to evacuate people during the failureInstallation
∎ System Integrator supported by Mitsubishi AutomationApplication
∎ A cable-car ride at an amusement park reaches high temperatures caused by heavy use and large numbers of passengers, so the lift was fitted with a SmartController and a total of 18 SCM sensors to monitor two pulleys and the ropeThe Smart Condition Monitoring Kit-1 COMPACT — a starter package for Condition Monitoring
The SCM Kit-1 COMPACT package delivers outstanding monitoring and maintenance performance and reduces downtime, which in turn cuts costs. It is a fully pre-configured condition monitoring solution complete with vibration sensors, and it expands flexibly to support up to six Condition Monitoring sensors.
