Monitoring the amount of water vapour in the air, humidity sensors are essential to ensuring optimal environmental conditions for a range of industries, from manufacturing to agriculture and facility management. Ross Turnbull, Director of Business Development and Product Engineering at custom IC design and supply specialist, Swindon Silicon Systems, explains how humidity sensors keep the air clean and ensure an optimal industrial environment.

PWE looks at the challenges of plant signal conditioning and how multi-functional modules play a crucial role in monitoring applications across the industrial sector

PWE looks at the challenges of plant signal conditioning and how multi-functional modules play a crucial role in monitoring applications across the industrial sector

PWE takes a look at how developments in instrument condition monitoring can unlock operational excellence

Airborne & structure-borne ultrasound has become a major player in bearing condition monitoring. Once considered just a leak detector, more maintenance & reliability professionals are beginning to realise all of the benefits associated with using ultrasound for condition monitoring applications. The P-F Curve with which we have all become familiar with reflects that trend.

Ian Loudon, international sales and marketing manager at wireless telemetry specialist Omniflex, outlines considerations for when selecting a radio frequency (RF) to operate on.

Stephen Davis, Marketing Director, PEMAC looks at 10 steps for implementing a successful intelligent maintenance programme

Johan Jonzon* explains how edge analytics provides instantaneous data to prevent unscheduled downtime

When a powerful and versatile technology such as Ultrasound meets the Internet of Things, new solutions arise that will take condition monitoring of assets to a whole new level. The development of ultrasonic sensors and their integration with data collection points promise to be a game changer when it comes to continuous and remote monitoring of industrial assets. PWE reports.

In order to bring effective, 24/7 condition monitoring to all sizes of business Turck Banner has introduced a self-contained, pre-programmed, starter kit for vibration and temperature monitoring at less than £600. PWE reports.

Data can elevate the maintenance function from being a quick fix to keep production lines running, to being a vital tool for enterprise success. Dan Rossek* explains how to raise your maintenance strategy to this level by accessing and repurposing data that already exists.

The need to keep automotive production lines running at their optimum performance requires that the machinery and equipment used in those lines should be doing the same. In this article, we look at how condition-based maintenance can help make sure that those robots most in need of attention on a factory floor receive the care they need to keep them in good working order. PWE reports.

The use of technology is becoming increasingly intertwined with our everyday lives, and even more so within numerous industry operations. Covid-19 has of course exacerbated this fact, highlighting the importance of technology and encouraging companies to think innovatively to overcome the challenges they face. Chris Potts* reports.

Plants such as water treatment facilities and food and beverage factories rely on a large range of process instrumentation – quite obviously, without accurate readings of parameters such as flow rates, pressures and temperatures, their operations would grind to a rapid halt. PWE reports.

By installing online condition monitoring devices on 58 critical drives, Schaeffler’s European Distribution Centre has seen a range of benefits, including the prevention of unplanned downtime, reduced maintenance costs and increased machine availability. PWE reports.

A new report on the market for predictive maintenance has highlighted the potential for a new relationship between component manufacturers, OEM machine builders, and end users. PWE reports.

Condition-based monitoring (CbM) is the Industry 4.0 equivalent of wearable fitness devices. With the explosion of connectivity comes the opportunity to observe the physical world like never before and to see physical processes in action, in real time, in fine detail. In industrial systems, one of the processes important for us to understand is the process of the aging of equipment and machines. This is important in diverse markets from oil and gas, wind power generation, and industrial process control, where capital equipment costs are high, and downtime is costly. Stuart Servis*, senior applications engineer, reports.

Mitsubishi Electric has integrated a lot of smart sensing and automation technology into its comprehensive Smart Condition Monitoring (SCM) package.

Mitsubishi Electric has integrated a lot of smart sensing and automation technology into its comprehensive SCM package.

PWE takes a look at monitoring in an aggressive manufacturing environment.

PWE takes a look at how facilities management service provider Engie Cofely made significant savings from a condition-based maintenance solution.

Indalyz Monitoring & Prognostics GmbH (IM&P), a German start-up company, develops and manages software and algorithms based on artificial intelligence for the control and monitoring of a very wide variety of machines and systems. PWE reports from Hannover Messe where the company was presenting at this year’s event, to find out more about its software.

The ability to monitor the condition of assets 24/7, from any location, is becoming the new trend in maintenance practices. Ultrasound, being a key technology in condition monitoring, will play a key role in this trend. UE Systems’ Adrian Messer CMRP, reports.

Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of obsolete industrial parts supplier EU Automation, discusses secure remote access and the challenges it presents.

A combination approach will help maintenance engineers overcome key challenges. Mark James, RS product manager, Automation and Control, for Northern Europe, reports.

Scania Industrial Maintenance manages the preventive maintenance in all Scania production facilities in Sweden. The company has now decided to replace its existing portable instruments for route-based measurement of the condition of critical machines, and SPM has been chosen as a supplier of new measuring equipment.

Monitoring and diagnostic tool helps operators keep tabs on their aging transformers and optimise their maintenance spend. PWE takes a look at ABB’s new transformer intelligence.

PWE takes a look at a condition monitoring solution for gearboxes, which provided six-figure savings in six months for a steel tube producer.

Jennifer Roubaud, UK and Ireland country manager with Dataiku, looks at how to pave the way for artificial intelligence and self-maintenance by first optimising your operations with predictive maintenance.

As pharmaceutical manufacturers look to boost productivity and minimise downtime, frequently now with the goal of moving from batch production to continuous operation, Neal Welch, life science sales manager, Automation Systems Division at Mitsubishi Electric, highlights the importance of smart condition monitoring technologies.

Predictive maintenance requires constant vigilance in order to be effective, ensuring that maintenance engineers know when it is the right time to lubricate bearings, apply a rust-preventative coating or treat their water supply. These tasks will vary in frequency, so there can be a steep learning curve to getting it right.

Leroy Spence, manager for the Americas at industrial equipment supplier, EU Automation, discusses how manufacturers can use predictive analytics to manage assets and minimise downtime.

The wide availability and low price of vibration monitoring equipment gives maintenance engineers an effective way of protecting all their assets – including those of relatively low value explains Chris Hansford, managing director of Hansford Sensors.

ABB’s MyRemoteCare and MySiteCare solutions have been developed specifically for the remote diagnosis and monitoring of MV circuit breakers, They facilitate the implementation of condition-based maintenance for the effective management of electrification systems.

The results from a series of in-depth studies on the vibration monitoring of rolling bearings in wind turbine gearboxes and generators, have been published in a report by Dr Steve Lacey, engineering manager at Schaeffler UK.

If machines and systems come to a sudden stop because of mains failures, the consequences are expensive and time consuming. These effects can be limited by implementing different bridging concepts of mains failures. PWE spoke to Manuel Senk, product manager, Interface & Mico at Murrelektronik GmbH in Oppenweiler.

Gas turbines form a crucial part of many power generation facilities and provide an efficient and reliable power source that can be brought online as required. Maintaining that facility requires a well-planned maintenance programme that will deliver continued reliability, optimum performance and efficiency as well as enabling improvements to be implemented. PWE reports.

A series of studies have shown that depot-based condition monitoring of railway traction motors using underfloor wheel lathes can be implemented at a fraction of the cost of Remote Condition Monitoring, says Dr Steve Lacey, engineering manager at Schaeffler UK.

Condition monitoring of plant is an increasing common method of preventing failure of critical equipment and maximising uptime, but many engineers are making some basic, and costly, mistakes. David Manning-Ohren, an expert in condition monitoring at ERIKS UK offers 10 rules to ensure that your condition monitoring techniques work for you not against you.

Swedish integrated board mill BillerudKorsnäs in Gävle recently got proof that gearbox condition monitoring is a reliability investment that pays for itself.

Once, maintenance was seen as simply an on-going cost of business. But, its ability to banish downtime means it is now a key contributor to the bottom line, says Phil Burge, country communications manager at SKF.

Getting the lubrication level right for high-speed machine tool spindles has, for the most part, been an inexact science. A surprising statement perhaps, considering how crucial the accuracy of the finished product is. And given that the lifespan and operational level of bearings depends on adding precise doses of lubricant, there should ideally be no margin for error. PWE reports.

Kamalina Srikant* looks at improving your maintenance strategy with online condition monitoring.

Schaeffler UK has provided exception-based remote condition monitoring of ships’ gearboxes for United European Car Carriers (UECC). PWE reports.

Whether using thermographics, ultrasonics or vibration analysis, maintenance and facilities management staff can now use sophisticated techniques to identify where problems exist and quickly prioritise the most appropriate steps of action to ensure safety. A recent EU Directive states that companies must conform to the application of best available techniques for pollution prevention and control, and Optical Gas Imaging cameras are highlighted in the Directive for their effectiveness, says Erik's Dave Manning-Ohren.

Megger has introduced the PAT450, a portable appliance tester designed to test portable electrical equipment for safe operation. Said to be ideal for portable appliance testing in locations like service workshops, schools, hospitals, prisons, construction sites, offices, restaurants and sport facilities, the PAT450 can store up to 10,000 test results. It features 10 A and 25 A bond tests with high duty-cycle designed for fast testing, easy operation and all-day use. The PAT’s 250 V and 500V insulation tests protect sensitive electronics.

Companies have never been more aware of the large costs and inconveniences created by downtime and urgent repair when equipment fails. However many are still exclusively reliant on routine maintenance which is not only a fixed, recurring cost in itself, but may also result in work and replacement of components. PWE reports.