Condition Monitoring of Motors

Automation technology is one of the industries that are driving digitization and the corresponding business models with suitable devices and systems. Applications that often appear quite simple suddenly become projects with far-reaching and usually very positive solutions such as the Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS). These require various components such as sensors as well as modules for data communication and data evaluation and for displaying results. Schildknecht AG is very well positioned in this respect and is able to offer interested users complete packages in which only the sensor and of course the data evaluation and dashboard display are specifically designed for the respective application. Such a case was realized in 2019 between Schildknecht AG and Murrelektronik GmbH. The task was to secure the daily deliveries from the company‘s central warehouse by monitoring the functional reliability of the conveyor belt used for this purpose and its drive motor. The background to this project was Murrelektroniks‘ endeavour to meet promised delivery dates and to secure a regular daily turnover.

The challenge in this application – from a technical point of view – was (1) to design the CMS or its sensor system in such a way that all critical motor data could be retrieved and at the same time assembly work on the motor could be carried out without prolonged downtime. A further challenge was (2) to ensure the acceptance and use of the system by employees who have been familiar with the drive motor for many years! Without the willingness of these experienced employees to entrust the „preventive maintenance“ of their motor to a sensor and, in a broader sense, to a digitalization concept including a cloud, the project would have been difficult to implement or would only have been implemented on a long-term basis. The opportunity was promising, because an unplanned shutdown leads to considerable manual overtime for deliveries and increased stress levels among employees.