Pain Points
A paper formation machine is driven by a high horsepower motor and the power is then transmitted to different subsystems by a transmission mechanism composed of numerous shafts, belts and gearboxes. A paper formation process sometimes suddenly stops due to the crash from any one bearing in the transmission mechanism or anyone in the rollers and reels in the subsystems.
Those crash may give rise to a financial downtime loss of 50 – 100 thousand USD each time.
Requirement
Paper formation factories want to cost-effectively prevent unpredicted crash of motor, bearings, belts, and gearbox without increasing their annual maintenance cost on the paper formation machines.
Challenges
- How to time-effectively build accuracy-acceptable models of health prediction for each type of bearings?
- The number of bearings in a paper formation machine is large. How to deploy a monitoring system for all bearings cost-effectively?
Real Engagement
Our customers chose couple motors, shaft assemblies, belts, gearboxes and more than fifty bearings whose rotational speed is high enough for vibration signal acquisition to be monitored.
An Aurora health condition monitoring system including numerous smart BLE endnodes, six gateways and a data and device management software (DDMS) is deployed. Meanwhile, we configured several basic spectrum features of several major crash modes of the motors, shaft assembly, bearings, belt and gearbox into individual endnodes. The Aurora system benefits our customers according to these pre-configured crash models from the first day it was deployed. This practice substantially reduced our customers’ effort on the signal collection and the spectrum features studying.
Besides the Aurora health condition monitoring system, texol also provided Fluke 810, training course and consulting service to our customers. Fluke 810 is not only a handheld vibration tester but also the most advanced troubleshooting tool for mechanical maintenance teams.
The unique diagnostic technology helps our customers quickly identify and prioritize mechanical problems. Fluke 810 discloses the plain-text crash mode, fault severity (slight, moderate, serious, extreme), repair details, cited peaks, and the spectra. Our customers regularly inspect the motors and bearings using Fluke 810. Once Fluke 810 disclose a new crash mode which is not built in Aurora system, they configure the band of the cited peaks into Aurora system using the web-based DDMS and then push the configurations into the BLE endnodes. After a period of time, say three to six months, our customers have an advanced troubleshooting and monitoring system by a most time and cost efficient way.
Benefits
Comparing with a traditional PC-based monitoring system, the Aurora health condition monitoring system successfully saved 100,000 USD in the system cost for our customers.
A paper formation machine is now monitored by the Aurora system. A paper and pulp factory possesses two paper formation machines can save 50 to 100 thousand USD yearly by preventing unpredicted crash of the motors, shaft assemblies, belts, gearboxes and more than fifty bearings.
Who texol
texol has been focusing on vibration and acoustic research more than 10 years. We not only deliver monitoring system to robot users, but also provide spectrum analysis software and design consulting service to the machine makers. Our turnkey solution enables the machine be designed well, assembled well, and worked well.
Why Aurora
Aurora system has several key features which are very appropriate for robot monitoring:
- All-in-one embedded endnode makes Aurora system cost-effective.
- Edge-computing and wireless architecture eliminates the signal cable.
- A predefined basic model, a practical engagement strategy and a professional consulting service fasten the deployment process.
- MQTT protocol makes data exchange more open and easily for advanced big data analysis applications.
Solution
- Fluke 810 vibration tester
- Aurora health condition monitoring system
- Consulting Service