Normally, a variety of hardware and software components are required to visualize and analyze the conditions of machines and systems. The new Condition Monitoring Toolkit from Balluff bundles all the necessary components – and thus enables early fault detection and predictive maintenance quickly and easily.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to know at an early stage which machine or component of a plant could cause problems in the near future? The experts at Balluff thought so too – and developed the Condition Monitoring Toolkit (CMTK). “Many existing plants cannot afford additional condition monitoring. Yet unplanned downtimes and thus costs can be avoided,” says Balluff Product Manager Dr. Thomas Meissner. The CMTK is a complete, stand-alone solution that can be easily retrofitted to any machine or system. The system includes everything the user needs to monitor machines or processes – from the sensors through to the base unit that collects the sensor data and the pre-installed software that enables monitoring and setting of threshold values.
Flexible system, set up in minutes
“Our Condition Monitoring Toolkit can be used to monitor motors, pumps, fans, conveyor systems, and also individual components of machines,” explains Meissner. The Condition Monitoring Sensor BCM detects vibrations, such as those that occur during milling or grinding in metalworking. But other characteristics are also of interest, such as temperature or pressure. “The flexible system quickly provides a deeper insight into the actual condition of the machines and systems and can thus detect deviations and problems at an early stage. All components are perfectly matched to each other,” says Meissner. In this context, the CMTK is particularly important for maintenance and service teams, but also for process engineers who want to monitor and improve production processes. “The system is easy to operate and can be set up in just a few minutes,” explains Meissner.
Wide range of applications
The sensors are connected to a base unit that operates independently of the machine control – so existing structures and processes are not disturbed by the query and evaluation of the additional data. The range of applications of the CMTK is diverse. All IO-Link sensors available on the market can be integrated into the system: Vibration, temperature, pressure and pressure flow sensors or even level sensors – up to four sensors simultaneously.
Data always and everywhere in view
The software included in the CMTK visualizes and evaluates the collected data directly in production. The dashboard is automatically created and configured based on existing sensor data – saving time and effort during system setup. The user can set limit values individually. If the limit values are exceeded or not reached, a warning message appears; notification via e-mail is also possible. Browser-based software displays the data on various end devices. Thus, remote monitoring is also possible from any location.