MOVUS gets Queensland certification for FitMachine EX condition monitoring solution

Posted by Paul Moore on 5th December 2019

MOVUS advises that its FitMachine EX solution is now IECEx certified for use in Queensland underground coal mines by Ex Testing and Certification Pty Ltd. This is an important extension of its existing intrinsically safe certification. FitMachine EX is an extension of the MOVUS FitMachine continuous condition monitoring solution that is designed and manufactured in Australia.

“Utilising best-of-breed sensors, communications, and artificial intelligence into a low-cost platform, FitMachine EX provides 24/7 digital oversight across a wide range of fixed rotating assets in the most hazardous industrial environments.”

MOVUS states: “Ask any mine site ConMon team and they’ll tell you that often as many as 10% of assets due for regular time or route-based inspections are missed because of operational or safety considerations. This is why the ‘continuous’ part of our solution is so important. FitMachine EX operates in those environments where its dangerous for humans to be so as to undertake a inspection or sample collection task. It acts as an early warning system for maintenance teams – detecting early stage changes in condition that left unchecked may lead to unplanned downtime or machine failure. FitMachine EX gives your maintenance teams the opportunity to work smarter.”

According to the new IECEx certification the equipment comprises two main parts. An FM Base (FMEX 3.0) is a cylindrical anti-static enclosure, with a single PCB encapsulated in the base/bottom part. Only two leads fitted with a connector appear from the encapsulation to connect to the battery. The base is either mechanically secured or connected with a magnet to the machine/equipment it monitors. The housing has approximate dimensions of 90 mm diameter x 50 mm tall.
The battery (BAEX 3.0) consists of two primary cells and a protection PCB, all fully encapsulated inside an antistatic battery housing. The battery is secured inside the FM base and only two flying leads fitted with a connector protrude from the battery encapsulation to connect with the FM Base electronics. It has housing approximate dimensions of 76 mm x 67 mm x 25 mm high. The battery is intrinsically safe in its own right and may be exchanged in the hazardous area.