February 2020

54 n SENSORS February 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com IO-Link and Industry 4.0 combine to ensure that air filters stay clean I ndustry 4.0. promises, among other things, higher efficiencies and increased uptime in production systems. At its plant in Tettnang, Germany, the sensor-maker ifm electronic is using its own sensors and Industry 4.0 techniques to implement condition-based maintenance on filters that are essential for ensuring that the air in its electronics production areas remains clean. The machines and workstations in these areas use central air extraction systems that are fed via pipes from in decentralised extraction devices. Filters are used to remove dust and particles both in decentralised devices and in the central system. If these filters become contaminated, the airflow can drop and operation may no longer be reliable. Maintenance to ensure sufficient airflow is therefore essential for a trouble-free production. In the past, ifm replaced its air filters at regular intervals – often too early, when they were hardly dirty, or sometimes too late, when they were clogged and could result in costly production losses. In an Industry 4.0 project, it has changed to condition-based maintenance, monitoring the degree of contamination of the filters continuously to determine the optimum time to perform maintenance. Flow sensors have been installed in the decentralised filters and connected to an IO- Link master module. A system called Linerecorder performs tasks ranging from collecting and consolidating the measured values from the sensors, to analysing the data and providing visualisation. Software tools simplify the transmission of data from the individual sensors to a higher- level system called LR Smartobserver, which has a Web-based interface that is used to show measured values, define limits and configure alarms. The application shows how Industry 4.0 principles can be applied to existing installations. Sensors communicating via IO- Link and the Linerecorder system allow efficient communication from the machine to the company’s ERP system. The application can be extended easily because the system offers flexible scaling. n The sensor-maker ifm is combining Industry 4.0 principles with its own IO-Link compatible sensors to implement condition-based maintenance on air filters that are vital to production at its German production facility. Air filters in ifm’s air extraction system are now monitored via IO-Link as part of a condition-based maintenance system based on Industry 4.0 principles FOR FAST TRACK ENTRY REGISTER FREE TODAY AT www.maintenanceuk-expo.com The UK’s premier forum for engineers, managers and directors responsible for operating and maintaining industrial plant and equipment 21-23 APRIL 2020 NEC BIRMINGHAM Co-located with: Air-Tech, Drives & Controls, Fluid Power & Systems, Smart Industry Expo and MACH