Condition monitoring is the process of managing a particular condition in machinery like vibration and temperature to identify changes that indicate a specific fault that needs correction. It is a significant part of predictive maintenance as implementing condition monitoring allows regularly scheduled maintenance. Such preventative actions safeguard machines against failure and allow for subsequent unplanned downtime.
Condition monitoring is used for several types
of equipment, including rotating machinery, auxiliary systems, and other
machine parts like compressors, pumps, motors, and presses. Traditional
condition monitoring was based on measuring
vibration to check for faults and issues; however, modern condition
monitoring uses sensors to measure different parameters in real-time. In
today’s world, innovative condition monitoring sends an alert whenever a usual
activity is detected.
How does condition
monitoring work?
Unlike previous times when engineers measured
machine vibration using wooden sticks to check if the equipment is running
correctly or not, condition monitoring has evolved much since then. However,
times have changed considerably since then. Modern real-time monitoring allows
engineers to schedule planned maintenance as required to schedule maintenance
for a fixed date and time simply.
Condition monitoring allows for efficient
maintenance, leading to less downtime and better machine productivity. In
addition, it prevents other machine components from failing due to the
knock-off effect from one machine part breakdown. Such predictive maintenance
is a massive advancement from reactive maintenance, which risks machine failure
and replaces all ineffective components.
That said, condition monitoring can be broken
down into three steps:
●
Install the monitoring
system
●
Practice baseline data
measurement
●
Engage in ongoing
monitoring