Online condition monitoring systems work on the basis of data about various machine parameters continuously recorded during phases of undisturbed machine and equipment operation. Deviations are then compared to these data to gain awareness of machinery malfunctions. The right repair or maintenance measures can then be taken, either during operation or scheduled downtime. This avoids severe financial losses due to machine downtime or failure as these problems can be anticipated.
PCE Instruments also offers some hand-held equipment for condition monitoring which has the advantages that reliable measurements can be made at relatively low cost and that no data about previous machine operation is needed. Also, most of PCE Instruments’ hand-held instruments for condition monitoring are very user-friendly so that the user often does not need any more instructions than the user manual.
PCE Instruments sells various types of environmental meters and sensors for parameters like air and material temperature, relative humidity, absolute moisture, vibration, pressure, sound, etc. in industrial environments. Signal amplifiers and signal converters to process and transform the data are also available. HMIs and displays can be purchased to make the measured data visible to machine operators. The collected data can be used to implement remote maintenance.
PCE Instruments offers different types of cameras that can be used for visual inspection: borescope cameras, high-speed cameras and thermal imaging cameras. These cameras are partly hand-held and partly for fixed installation. The machine status can be visually inspected on-site or even remotely when using the PCE cloud solution. These devices enable the user to view hidden and hard-to-access machine parts.
Stethoscopes are often used in industrial condition monitoring to find the source of machine noise caused by pistons, fans or pistons. They are also used for continuous vibration control.
Rotation meters are used to measure rotational speeds of machines and equipment, conveyor belts, motors and other moving parts which can be an indication for equipment faults.
Non-destructive surface testing can be important, for instance, when it comes to assessing the condition of a vessel or measuring the condition of a material without having to stop a machine. New ultrasonic devices can determine the material or coating thickness, the surface roughness, various faults like cracks, thinning of the layer, etc. These measurements can be made on metal, glass, ceramics, plastics, steel and other surfaces even if they are normally difficult to access.
All condition monitoring equipment from PCE Instruments can be found here