An IIoT-driven approach to machine condition monitoring

This article is translated from todaysmedicaldevelopments

Reliable smart sensors are the foundation of predictive maintenance. By capturing key performance data (changes in temperature, vibration, position, pressure), manufacturers can better understand the condition of their machines and reduce potential risks. Receiving real-time information enables them to see trends and react quickly to avoid failures that could lead to costly, disruptive downtime while keeping employees safe.

As factories undergo digitalization and automation transformation, the demand for equipment is growing dramatically to prevent these problems and enable proactive maintenance. As demand grows, expectations are growing for sensors to be faster, more accurate, and more durable as more factories seek continued production and efficiency.

Next-generation data-driven solutions

The need to capture multiple types of measurements in a very small package has driven the development of multi-sensing elements, such as TE Connectivity's 830M1 embedded piezoelectric (PE) triaxial accelerometer. Embedded sensible accelerometers are used to monitor the health of machines, where wide bandwidth, small size, low power consumption, and powerful performance are essential. The higher resolution of accelerometers provides a reliable solution for long-term, stable, and accurate industrial condition monitoring applications in harsh environments. Its fully sealed leadless chip carrier (LCC) package allows the sensor on the PCB to measure in a single package, rather than measuring X, Y, and Z acceleration in three chips separately, thereby reducing package size and cost.

“These sensors give you endless data that not only helps plants run 24/7, but also improves machinery efficiency because parameters can be adjusted online constantly,” said Bjorn Ryden, TE’s director of product management. “This increases productivity by minimizing downtime and helps address workplace safety issues.”

During development, TE focused on key parameters and design components to simplify continuous condition monitoring, providing information to guide better decisions to support operation in harsh environments. The core technology element of the 830M1 is the internal piezoelectric sensing technology, which provides excellent frequency response, measurement resolution, long-term stability and minimal drift. Piezoelectric sensing does not require power and can provide signal conditioning (charge to voltage conversion) in devices with very low current requirements.

“It’s a solid technology,” Ryden said. “The key advantage is the wide bandwidth or frequency response. Because the 830M1 offers up to 15kHz of frequency response bandwidth, it also has excellent measurement resolution. This enables the end user to identify very early stage faults in high-speed applications.”

The sooner shop workers detect a problem, the less expensive the repair solution.

Sensor technology of the future

Ryden predicts that industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-enabled factories will continue to be a major driver of sensor adoption, making equipment more accurate and more durable. Ultimately, manufacturers will gain improved quality, visibility and production control.

Advances in sensor technology will also continue to make predictive maintenance more feasible and affordable. Simpler installation, miniaturization, and wireless sensing will continue to reduce costs. As factory floors become more connected, other devices and applications will require multiple sensors to be installed in a smaller footprint. This will drive further miniaturization of sensors while also reducing power requirements. In addition, engineers will rely more on wireless solutions to retrofit existing equipment and achieve a high return on investment (ROI).

Another clear trend is the increase in sensor fusion. This involves the use of multi-sensor integration and connecting all devices on the factory floor to capture multiple types of measurements to create powerful, reliable data outputs.

“The 830M1 is actually a combination sensor. It’s a three-axis vibration sensor that also has a resistance temperature detector (RTD) that provides a temperature output,” Ryden added. “The end user can choose to read both temperature and vibration from this sensor.”

As IIoT becomes more secure, improving the safe transmission of critical data, sensor fusion will accelerate. This, in turn, will enhance remote operation capabilities.

There is a growing need for smarter sensors to process and interpret large amounts of data. This field is constantly evolving as we move into a more connected world.

It’s still early days for implementing AI and machine learning on sensors, but Ryden expects to see more of a shift as the industry moves into the next phase of IIoT development.

“We see ourselves as critical to addressing this market as well as the evolving sensor fusion and artificial intelligence (AI) markets,” Ryden said, “and we will continue to work with our customers and ecosystem partners to solve these challenges and develop the next generation of sensors that meet these needs.”