Use of software and sensors to know the future of machines
If the forecasts are correct, by 2025 there will be 27 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). Marek Lukaszczyk, Director of Marketing for Europe of the gear motor manufacturer WEG explains the role that gearmotor maintenance plays in this paradigm.
Geared motors are the heavyweights of drive technology and are required to handle large amounts of data, power and torque. They provide the necessary motion sequences in machines and systems, helping to ensure smooth operation of production lines. A failure in a geared motor can cause a chain effect with a high cost for the company.
Given the significant forces involved, sometimes errors are not detected early and entire systems are paralyzed. This situation can have detrimental effects, as other important operating components are also kept idle until a replacement gearmotor is installed.
While we can't see the future, we can predict it. Using a predictive maintenance (PdM) strategy, maintenance personnel can collect critical data to help identify performance errors. This information can help fix problems months before they lead to failures, avoiding downtime, excessive maintenance costs and operational risks.
A smarter approach to maintenance
Preventive maintenance is a technique that uses condition monitoring equipment to assess operational performance in real time. By combining condition diagnosis with prediction formulas, predictive maintenance creates an accurate tool for collecting and evaluating data.
The idea is to anticipate the future of a system, highlighting the possible failures that may occur and the maintenance measures that must be taken. This new methodology uses predictive analytics and algorithms based on real-time data to identify specific problems, many of which do not show physical signs of deterioration.
In some cases, even as companies invest significant resources and time in carrying out maintenance checks, they lack the data to know if their strategy is effective or even to address their main concerns. But there is a better alternative.
WEG's preventive methodology
WEG Motor Scan is possibly the first step taken by geared motors in the field of Internet of Things (IoT). Provides cost-effective, predictive maintenance to extend the life of geared motors. By combining WEG Motor Scan and its WEG Motor Scan Gateway software, maintenance personnel can immediately view motor performance analysis on the phone, PC or Human Machine Interface (HMI).
The sensor can be applied to both old and new geared motors, including electric motors, obtaining comprehensive motor health diagnostic data to monitor surface temperature, analyze overall vibration, and get information on running time, speed and lubrication intervals, while also calculating any misalignment.
The data obtained can be transferred via the app or via Bluetooth to be stored on a secure cloud platform, where results from multiple sensors can be viewed at once. The software's Internet of Things (IoT) platform provides a broad overview for diagnostics and allows alarms to be set when set values are exceeded.
Could this way of maintaining geared motors become the norm? It is estimated that 2021 billion devices will be connected to the IoT by 25, and we believe geared motors should be there. Maintenance managers willing to take the first steps in the field of IoT have four free technical guides at www.weg-wg000.com, where they will find essential advice for the purchase and maintenance of geared motors.
