Condition monitoring: a key part of Industry 4.0 and the ‘Dark Factory’

29 August, 2018

Enablers for digital services

Components equipped with sensors are central to the drive systems used in machines and equipment – they record data and are the fundamental ‘enablers’ for these digital services. Schaeffler’s aim is to continuously transform conventional mechanical products such as bearings and integrate these into the digital world. This represents an important step towards a future in which not only complex systems, but also simple assemblies and machines will have easy access to digitalisation and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The recorded vibration data from bearings can now be transferred via a flexible Schaeffler Gateway to the Schaeffler Cloud, where Schaeffler’s rolling bearing domain expertise is made usable in the form of digital services.

But what are the implications on the workforce? Over the next decade, engineers will spend less time diagnosing faults on machines and process plant, as this data will be collected and reported on automatically using smart CM systems. Collected CM data can be provided in a format suitable for whoever needs to see the data within the business or global group. Different process engineers, maintenance staff, machine operators and senior plant managers will cherry pick what information they need from this pool of machine and process data and use it as they see fit to make improvements to processes, machine efficiencies and ultimately business profit.

So, where’s the catch?

There are some drawbacks to implementing modern CM systems, but these should not prevent companies investing in CM. The cost of the CM system itself and its implementation can appear relatively high at first. However, the cost of implementation is likely to decrease over the coming years as these systems become easier and faster to install, as well as less costly to develop in the first place.

The Dark ‘lights-out’ Factory

We could eventually see a ‘Dark Factory’ situation emerging, whereby machines, automated plant and robots carry out all their work in an energy efficient, ‘lights-out’ scenario, where there is little or no human intervention required, except when a CM alarm limit on a machine or process is reached, new raw material is required for the process, or a machine breakdown occurs.

Industry 4.0 and the IoT will continue to drive the way CM technologies are developed. CM will continue to remain at the forefront of fault diagnosis.

www.schaeffler.co.uk