If you are a reliability engineer you are responsible for guiding efforts to ensure reliability and maintain equipment, processes, utilities, facilities, controls and safety /security systems. You are the one charged with identifying and managing risks to your plant’s operation, with the primary role of keeping machinery like robots, presses, pumps, precision CNCs and assembly lines operating at their highest capacity possible.
It is important to detect and fix any failure with these assets before they evolve into malfunctions, contribute to defective components; shut down the production process altogether or, even worse, jeopardize worker safety.
You are the last line of defense between safety, productivity, catastrophes and a severe hit to revenue.
A cloud-based solution
Ensuring peak performance out of each machine requires diligent monitoring and data gathering, and early intervention if a problem arises that could negatively affect productivity. Before the technological breakthrough known as the Internet of Things (IoT), reliability engineers and their teams would employ a time-consuming manual inspection of a machine to determine its operational status. This system was not merely tedious; it was often prone to human error.
In the field of reliability engineering, IoT for asset monitoring is the new paradigm, and will only become more ubiquitous in the future. In the next five years, this technology is expected to generate as much as $500 billion in economic value. For the sake of efficiency and production continuity, the time to get on board with IoT is now.
Thanks to IoT, machines across the entire plant floor can be continuously monitored. Data collection and analyses are provided in real-time, with alerts for any data that falls out of established performance standards. A system such as this can be set up quickly with no upfront costs and a simple implementation process with an internet service provider.
Innovative hardware and software
Parker, a world leader in connected motion and control technologies, is well versed in cloud-based condition monitoring solutions utilizing IoT technology as the basis for its innovative hardware and software package that has wholly transformed operational efficiency. Parker’s SensoNODE™ Sensors are engineered to work in perfect harmony with the company’s Voice of the Machine™ software. Capable of full-factory connectivity, this web-based platform reduces risk, maintenance and unplanned downtime.
Machine alert notifications can be sent to any internet-connected device, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet via email, text or within the cloud. This provides engineers with the data needed to make confident, on-the-spot decisions.
Parker’s wireless SensoNODE Gold Sensors are designed to continuously monitor the most critical conditions that affect machine performance: vibration, pressure, temperature, humidity, and strain —any of which could cause a machine to perform poorly or put it out of action altogether.
The company’s Voice of the Machine software’s incredible power resides in managing large amounts of streaming data with ease. On-screen widgets make for easy visualization, while dashboards provide the ability to add, remove, edit, and view both live and historical data in the cloud.
Industrial facilities around the world have chosen Parker’s system for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is its easy setup and short learning curve. This allows the Parker machine monitoring system to be operational quickly. There’s no software to download or install and the web-based interface provides intuitive functionality. Since the Parker system requires less manpower to monitor assets and processes, more personnel are available to attend to other duties, resulting in higher efficiency and a healthier bottom line.
Helping engineers make better decisions
With many assets operating around the clock, reliability engineers need their assets’ status on an ongoing basis. This invaluable knowledge allows for better predictions when repairs are needed or when a machine is nearing the end of its lifecycle. Parker’s innovative SensoNODE Sensors and Voice of the Machine software allows them to receive and review the data anywhere, anytime. The results are better, more timely decisions; a safer work environment; and fewer production interruptions.
As a leader in cloud-based machine condition monitoring, Parker is helping reliability engineers in industrial and commercial companies make the digital transformation to the Internet of Things and full-factory connectivity.
Article contributed by Marc Williams, IoT project lead, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
