WEG’s new Motor Scan system makes possible predictive maintenance of electric motors by fitting a simple sensor. David Fowler reports
WEG, the global manufacturer of motors and drive technology, has launched a new remote monitoring system to make possible predictive and preventive maintenance on its motors.
The new technology, unveiled at last month’s Plant & Asset Management/Drives and Controls show, allows maintenance professionals to make informed decisions about the health of installed motors and react, according to the data captured.
The system uses a retrofitted sensor and industry 4.0 digital technology to analyse the data captured, to maximise uptime and forestall breakdowns.
The Motor Scan sensor is simply bolted to one of the motor’s cooling fins using a simple mounting clamp, and is battery powered, needing no electrical connection. It is available for IEC frame sizes from 100 to 450.
It tracks vibration and surface temperature as well as running hours, and will provide data on speed, start/stop time, load and efficiency. All this is transmitted to a smartphone or tablet by Bluetooth and from there, transmitted to and stored in the cloud. The user sets a schedule for vibration readings of up to 12 measurements daily.
Users can access the data via an app, available both for iOS and Android devices, on a smart device. The data can also be viewed on laptops and desktop computers via a dedicated web portal.
The sensor and software are designed specifically for WEG motors. The user inputs the serial number, from which the app automatically recognises the model of motor being monitored.
Powerful analytics help to process the data and predict pending failures or hidden problems.
Currently the sensor monitors global vibration, but in a future premium package, frequency spectrum analysis will allow diagnosis of bearing condition, unbalancing and misalignment. Warning levels are preset by the user based on acceptable baselines of temperature and vibration. The software can also plot performance curves with the captured data.
The company believes that WEG Motor Scan will take the monotony out of manually collecting and monitoring data, remove the guesswork of preventive maintenance and eliminate the inefficiency of reactive maintenance. It also provides the opportunity for companies to increase the skills of their staff and expand their capability, by training maintenance professionals to take on the specialised requirements of predictive maintenance.
“The WEG Motor Scan can predict and avoid a crisis before it happens. We find that fixing a problem before it happens is the most cost-effective form of maintenance and this provides direct benefits to our clients. Clients can reduce cost, improve profitability and use their resources more efficiently,” said Andrew Glover, European low voltage motors product manager.