Inspection and maintenance account for up to a third of the indirect costs in production plants. Condition monitoring systems enable companies to realign their maintenance strategies around fault detection and prevention and save money. CONiQ from Schenck Process offers distinct advantages as a CM system specially designed for vibrating machines, with unique six-dimensional vibration measurement. With CONiQ, Schenck process consolidates its position as a provider of intelligent Industry 4.0 applications. “In heavy industries such as mining or steel manufacturing, machines are confronted with unparalleled harsh conditions,” says Jan Schäfer, Product Manager, Schenck Process R&D. “Short maintenance intervals, unplanned machine breakdowns and the damage that can result are the attendant consequences. Companies that until now have relied on corrective maintenance need to change their thinking in a competitive environment, in which downtime has become more expensive than ever.”
Particularly in the mining industry, plants are often in remote locations where there are no service personnel within easy reach. Thus there is a growing demand for the strategic deployment of proactive condition monitoring and diagnostic systems. The CONiQ condition monitoring system for vibrating machines is based on the principle of predictive maintenance. Damage and wear are detected and components can be repaired or replaced before they lead to more serious damage or stoppages. Significant cracks or defects of the screen body are also detected. CONiQ continuously monitors the vibration of machines and components as well as oil temperature. These metrics are automatically analysed compared with preconfigured initial and limit values, and interpreted for possible root causes.
“With the prevention of a single plant standstill, CONiQ will immediately recover the investment costs. The system can be bundled into new vibrating machinery or retrofitted to a machine that is already in operation. As well as preventing breakdowns and optimising the machine’s energy efficiency, this approach offers other significant advantages compared with maintenance strategies that involve pre-planned interventions: the service life of components is maximised and the time demands on maintenance personnel are reduced. Unforeseen downtime for maintenance can be avoided, and maintenance work planned more effectively. Moreover, operators can gain machine-specific experience and know-how.”
Schenck states that CONiQ also offers a couple of unique advantages over other CM machines that are designed for vibrating equipment. It measures screen movement with a six-dimensional inertial sensor: three-dimensional linear acceleration, and three-dimensional rotatory velocity. “Six-dimensional measurement is essential. If you measure less than six dimensions, it is possible that you will fail to detect a fault.” Additionally, CONiQ measures mechanical vibration at both sides of the exciter with piezoelectric accelerometers. This detects any possible damage to bearings and gears that could emit vibrations causing further damage to the exciter.
Uniquely, CONiQ offers the option of wireless or non-wireless data communication for these sensors to the Floor Unit, which carries out continuous analysis of the measurements. “This combines flexibility of deployment with security and synchronicity. A wireless-only approach is not always ideal in environments where there is a lot of external interference that can affect the signal,” says Schäfer.
