Electricity and Control August 2023

SENSORS + SWITCHES : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Predictive maintenance for port cranes motors and gearboxes

The global port industry is experiencing significant growth and more businesses, using large cranes to move shipping containers, are turning to automated solutions to predict if motors or gears are beginning to fail. The cranes used to move shipping containers can be dangerous and the harsh environmental conditions in which they operate – extreme temperatures, vibration, and unpredictable weather – can cause them to break down or underperform. Most operators and crane em ployees need to dedicate a lot of their time to check on rotating parts and machines manually to ensure they are working properly and these manual checks cut into the overall production time. Recently, an Australian port operator worked with Turck Banner Australia to find a solution to monitor the electric motors and gearboxes on the boom and hoist of ship-to-shore (STS) cranes throughout the port facili ty. The company needed a way to monitor vibration and temperature levels so the components could be serviced before they failed completely, causing excessive down time and repair costs. Port monitoring applications typically present many challenges that ordinary sensors cannot solve. The out door environment presents unpredictable weather, and the facilities may cover large areas of land. Ports use large and heavy machines, which create high levels of friction and vibration, causing equipment to deteriorate quickly. Downtime or slow performing machines significantly affect a company’s effectiveness and ability to support the growing global demand for shipping services. To prevent this from happening, port operators need to per form a manual inspection of the cranes routinely, to make sure they are in proper working order. The manual check is not ideal because ports are generally quite big so an inspection takes a long time to complete and prevents operators from doing other tasks that would improve the company’s throughput and effectiveness. Turck Banner’s wireless products were found to be an effective solution for predictive maintenance at the ports. The large outdoor area cannot be wired easily, and wireless products offer the advantage of covering multiple units over a large area. Predictive maintenance allows for the monitoring of changes in machinery performance and allows for corrective action to be taken before bigger issues arise, saving companies time

and money by preventing downtime and the need for emergency repairs. The QM30VT wireless vibration and temperature sen sor connects to a battery-powered Q45 wireless node to monitor the motors and gearboxes. The Q45 wireless nodes are paired with a DXM Series wireless controller to collect and interpret the values received from the vibra tion and temperature sensors. The controller can also be set up to regulate TL70 tower lights that are used to no tify the port’s maintenance team. If the vibration or tem perature exceeds safe thresholds, the TL70 will alert the maintenance team to take appropriate action before the problem becomes worse. These set thresholds can be easily adjusted on the DXM controller. Wireless products and battery-powered devices make installation easy, and the elimination of cables keeps the area free of clutter, especially those zones that may be harder to reach. Turck Banner offers a range of wireless products that are simple to use and include pre-defined I/O mapping between two devices. The DXM Series controller is also scalable and can communicate with up to 47 sensors or nodes, which makes it suitable for changing needs. Turck Banner sensors are manufactured to be rugged and durable, ensuring they can withstand high vibration, temperature changes and work well in demanding envi ronments. The sensors allow for simple installation and operation; reduced wiring allows for easy mounting, and the sensors incorporate an intuitive setup design. In the case of the port operator, all these factors ensured that the customer received a solution that could withstand the environmental conditions and significantly decrease downtime by using predictive maintenance. Using sensors with wireless connectivity to monitor changes in machinery performance allows for corrective action to be taken before bigger issues arise.

For more information contact Turck Banner. Tel: +27 (0)11 453 2468

Turck Banner’s Q45 photoelectric sensors, its QM30VT vibration and temperature sensors, and DXM Series wireless controllers were used in the port installation.

Email: sales@turckbanner.co.za Visit: www.turckbanner.co.za

22 Electricity + Control AUGUST 2023