April 2020

n TECHNOLOGY April 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com 26 SKF HAS ANNOUNCED a compact vibration and temperature sensor that monitors the condition of rotating parts on heavy industrial machinery. It says that the Enlight Collect IMx- 1 sensor will allow users to cut both unplanned downtime and maintenance costs. They will also be able to collect data more frequently – over hours and days, instead of weeks and months – from locations that were previously inaccessible, using fewer technicians. The battery-powered sensor, designed mainly for use as part of SKF’s REP (Rotating Equipment Performance) system, can be deployed in large numbers to automate the collection of data on the health of machinery – a process usually carried out by technicians using portable devices. When mounted on a bearing housing, the sensor can send the collected data wirelessly to a host computer network, which can forward it to cloud-based analysis services at SKF’s REP centres. The system uses a mesh network to relay data between the sensors. This allows the data to be routed around radio obstacles, such as pipes and storage vessels, that can block signals for line-of-sight systems. It also allows the data to be sent over longer distances than would be possible using a single device. “The mesh network is self-forming, which makes it easier and quicker to deploy than other wireless communications technologies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth,” explains SKF product line manager, Chris James. “It is also innovative in the way it manages available bandwidth and the power consumption of the sensors, which leads to a long enough battery life to meet the needs of multi-year service contracts.” The IP69K-protected sensors have been designed to work reliably even when exposed to dust, dirt, oil, grease, contaminants, flying debris, temperature changes, wind, rain, and high-pressure hot water washdowns. “Critically, the sensor gathers data consistent with our manual data-collector, particularly when it comes to detecting early- stage bearing defects,” says James. “Although severely damaged bearings are relatively straightforward to detect, by that stage they are close to failure – the key is to find defects early, so that corrective action can be planned in good time with minimal disruption.” But extracting the tiny signals of an early- stage defect from background noise can be difficult. The new sensor uses an acceleration enveloping technology to achieve this. “Industrial plants are under increasing pressure, and as a result, production hours are increasing,” James concludes. “At the same time, our customers need to avoid unplanned downtime, while reducing their capital investments. Enabled by the new SKF Enlight Collect IMx-1, they can easily get started with a fee- or performance-based contract, and access automated predictive maintenance and reliable rotation on their operating budget.” www.skf.com/imx1 p San Francisco based Bright Machines has announced amicrofactory-as-a-service offering software-definedmanufacturing without the costs associatedwith traditional automation equipment. It says that its Bright Machines Select will make it easier for manufacturers to deploy next-generation factory automation and streamline purchasing.Themicrofactories combine adaptive robots, machine learning and computer vision to provide a software-defined approach to assembly automation. www.brightmachines.com p Twenty software and hardware kits for popular cobot applications are now available on Universal Robots’ UR+ platform, which offers products certified to integrate with UR’s cobots. By simplifying engineering decisions, the Plug and Produce kits reduce project risks and complexity.They are available for tasks such as finishing, inspection, assembly, machine- tending, material removal, dispensing, and material-handling.The kits come with URCap software for controlling peripherals from the cobot’s teach pendant. More kits are planned. www.universal-robots.com/plus/urplus- application-kits p ODVA has launched a joint working group with the OPC Foundation to develop an OPC UA companion specification to the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).The aim is to achieve reliable, secure communications between devices that are a part of a CIP-enabled control system, and other OPC UA enabled applications, allowing communications between CIP devices and OPC UA devices, as well as with cloud and enterprise-level services. Common tasks required for cloud gateway appliance management will be enabled, and CIP devices will have access to cloud services.The OPC UA companion specification will help tomove industrial communication and control data from factory floors to the cloud via gateways. www.odva.org p The Japanese chip-maker Renesas has developed a CC-Link IE TSN-compatible system- on-a-chip (SoC) as well as software and a development environment that will allow users to evaluate CC-Link IETSN communications after a set-up time of just one hour.The SoC supports networks with aminimumof external components, simplifying systemdesigns and cutting engineering costs. Because the synchronisation accuracy between devices on the same network can be less than 1μs, the SoC can be used for internal networking of systems such as machine tools and production lines. www.renesas.com p Siemens Digital Industries Software has extended its Simcenter/Xcelerator portfolio with releases of Simcenter Magnet andMotorsolve programs for optimising the noise and vibration development of electric motors.The software can simulatemotor designs and electro- magnetic fields at any stage of development . www.plm.automation.siemens.com p Rittal is installing a private 5Gmobile communications network in its Industry 4.0 plant in Haiger, Germany, where 100 automated machines produce around 9,000 compact and small enclosures every day.The 5G technology will be used to accelerate and simplify data traffic – for example, for video-based comparison of quantities with order data, and to implement analytics for preventivemaintenance. Wireless sensors monitor rotating machines automatically SKF’s wireless sensors allow vibrations and temperatures from rotating machinery to be monitored automatically