Condition monitoring for predictive maintenance is a drive solution developed by NORD that focuses on status-oriented maintenance rather than traditional time-based maintenance. Status and drive data are recorded periodically or continuously via the PLC output parameters and can be viewed or saved to a local dashboard via an Industrial Ethernet protocol such as EtherNet/IP. The collected data is analyzed and used to detect any suboptimal operating conditions so that machines and systems can be proactively maintained, and unplanned downtimes can be avoided. Condition monitoring increases the service life of components, machines, and the overall system effectiveness. It also reduces service and material costs.
A gear unit with old oil can lead to wear and tear of components and cause a drive to lose performance and efficiency. NORD’s SMART OIL CHANGE function (SOC) uses virtual sensors of the integrated PLC with gear unit parameters and specific operational parameters to calculate the optimal time to change the oil to keep gearboxes in pristine condition and running longer. In addition to digital and analog sensors that monitor internal values, the drives can also evaluate external conditions with temperature and vibration sensors. Together, these sensors and sensor data play an important role in condition monitoring and provide a system that is IIoT and Industry 4.0 READY!