Predictive maintenance solutions for efficiency, safety

Providing fast, efficient and comprehensive evaluation of analogue and digital data, power transmission and motion control products distributor BMG’s NORD predictive maintenance solutions enhance the operational efficiency and safety of machines.

The intelligent programmable logic controller (PLC) in NORD drive technology forms the basis for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, according to BMG.

Developed by drive technologies manufacturer Getriebebau Nord and assembled locally by BMG, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS comprise optimum drive configurations, to ensure high performance of mechanical speed control for specific applications, in almost every industry.

Local assembly at BMG World in Johannesburg enables prompt delivery of drive systems and the quick availability of spare parts.

“BMG specialists use predictive maintenance as a methodical continuation of condition maintenance, with the prime objective of proactively maintaining machinery and equipment and detecting operational changes,” explains BMG electromechanical drives division national gears sales manager Deon Crous.

The NORD status-oriented maintenance system replaces traditional time-based maintenance to enhance the performance of the gear unit, electric motor and frequency inverter, for increased efficiency of the entire plant, as well as reduced downtime, he explains.

Digitalisation in drive technology boosts the added value customers derive from drive data, particularly in drive systems in demanding production environments, where industrial gear unit installations are usually used in critical applications and their failure could cause severe damage. This is applicable in mining, wastewater, intralogistics and the food industry, as well as in general heavy-duty applications.

NORD drives for condition monitoring are based on intelligent algorithms and software in an Industrial Internet of Things environment, where networked drive units collect condition data in the inverter’s integrated PLC and pre-process it, together with data of connected sensors and actuators, explains Crous.

“An important advantage of this system is it offers our customers dependable data analysis, rather than merely data reading. Results of pre-processing or complete data can be optionally transmitted to an edge device, from which the data of all subsystems is managed and evaluated,” he adds.

This information is then available as pre-selected and edited smart data for further use and clear visualisation.

A common application example is the sensorless determination of the optimum oil change time, based on the oil temperature, which is the key factor for oil ageing in gear units.

This information is used in conjunction with gear unit parameters and specific operational parameters, to precisely calculate the appropriate oil change time, without the need for a physical temperature sensor.

Flexible Options
BMG’s electromechanical specialists can extend and adjust NORD drive equipment for a specific automation task, including drive monitoring, drive control and process control.

The BMG team is also able to advise customers about the correct PLC software architecture for every application.

In smaller production plants, NORD’s scalability enables users to gain first experiences prior to reorganising the plant.

Three configuration levels are available with the first level entailing that the drive unit PLC only performs drive monitoring. Drive parameters are pre-processed in the PLC and communicated to the higher-level control system that is responsible for drive and process control.

At the medium level, the PLC integrates the drive control and runs drive-related functions. At the higher configuration level, the inverter PLC completely replaces a higher-level control system.