Electricity + Control October 2017

The isense as a strategic means of maintenance Since the first use of polmyer energy chains more than four decades ago, the igus e-chain has evolved constantly: mechanically by continually re- searching ever better materials and designs that have made the e-chain ever lighter and quieter. As a result, not only linear motion but also move- ments in all directions and torsion have become possible. Now the e-chain has become smart: with the aid of intelligent sensors, it monitors it- self continuously and warns of a failure in advance. Many thousands of test procedures already pro- vide extensive data, on the basis of which the ex- act durability and service life of the e-chains are calculated and which are integrated in numerous online tools and apps. However, the use of sen- sors and IT-based data analysis has further de- veloped the existing maintenance strategies. By measuring the actual status of the e-chain in real operation, the smart plastics can detect the ap- pearances of wear on time and maintenance can be initiated at an early stage.The key point is not to respond to failures, but to foresee them and plan accordingly. As a result, smart plastics are used as a strategic means to save costs in production: by the optimisation of resources in maintenance and spare parts logistics, or through higher response speeds within production processes. In addition, the avoidance of costly production stoppages from machine downtimes. The isense sensors in beta use The first assignments of the isense sensors were in the production plants of various German auto- motive manufacturers. However, they can be used wherever predictive maintenance is required for cost reasons or to increase plant efficiency and reduce energy consumption - for example, in e-chains on long travels in port facilities or crane systems. All isense products can be installed in a large range of products. Some of the isense prod- ucts can even be retrofitted in existing plants.

Scenario of the future:Worldwide test laboratory The icom is the central module of the isense se- ries. Today, the communication unit links all the data from the isense monitoring modules and then directs them to the production systems on site If isense could also be connected to the igus data centre and align with the parameters of the re- spective plant as well as the data from millions of results from the test lab, the service life could even be calculated individually. As a result, the plant operator could receive after-sales services such as an optimisation of his business processes by means of automated spare parts procurement and a maintenance contract. In this way, the mainte- nance and service costs would be further reduced and the quality of the production enhanced. The aim is to be able to give more accurate predictions regarding the durability of the e-chains by means of sensors on different components.The collection and analysis of machine data is in the process an important cornerstone for a higher planning relia- bility and efficient maintenance in the factory of the future. Comparable to a global test laboratory, the analysis and evaluation of concrete data from a wide range of applications allows the identification of numerous statistical values which, on the one hand, make more precise predictions possible and on the other, could also be integrated into the re- search and development of new products. Conclusion Simple digital I/O signals are still sent when a lim- it value is exceeded. The icom module passes the maintenance information about cables to the us- er’s systems. If, however, the data of many plants and production processes are brought together in a structured manner, more accurate analyses and more reliable predictions would be possible. A con- ceivable future solution would be one that not only evaluates local production data, but is also fed with data from other applications as well as the many test results from the igus database.Whether this is done in the form of an application by the user or cloud- based, ultimately the user could decide for himself. Thanks to smart plastics from igus, unforeseen machine failures and imminent downtimes are detected in good time for an appropriate mainte- nance to be initiated and in this way expensive production losses are avoided.

Intelligent igus products: A force sensor in the floating moving end con- trols the e-chain during operation. If a foreign body blocks the e-chain, the displacement forces increase. From a defined threshold value, the sen- sor issues a signal which is recorded by an evalua- tion box and passed on to the icom communication module. If the permissible forces are exceeded, the system switches off the plant before it can cause major damage.

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Ian Hewitt.

+27 (0) 11 312 1848 ihewat@igus.co.za www.igus.co.za

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30 Electricity + Control

OCTOBER 2017