Detect machine problems quickly and precisely
Manufacturing, processing or transportation machines of all kinds today use sophisticated controlled drive technology to generate linear movements in three spatial axes or rotational movements precisely and with a high degree of efficiency. The characteristic oscillation or vibration patterns generated by all mechanical movements can be used in this context to monitor and optimize the entire drive technology with regard to the mechanical-electrical parameters.
Miniature data loggers can provide significant and, above all, time- and cost-saving assistance.
Example of an evaluation diagram that clearly visualizes the vibration parameters on the PC
For a long time now, attempts have been made to record, store and evaluate the characteristic oscillation, shock and vibration parameters of machines and drives of all kinds in a time-saving, cost-effective and easy-to-use manner. This helps to optimize the efficiency of mechanical drive trains and to define suitable target and average values for these parameters. On the one hand, this serves to document quality and display performance parameters; on the other hand, deviations from vibration and oscillation patterns known to be "good" also allow imminent damage to be detected at an early stage.
Ensuring the "vibration fingerprints"
Such a "mechanical vibration fingerprint" serves very well as an ideal comparison value in the event of an impending fault, for example if a ball bearing in a gearbox is faulty, leading to a deviation from the normal vibration amplitudes or frequencies. The detection of mechanical faults via characteristic vibration patterns - realized at the earliest possible stage - always helps to avoid expensive downtimes "in the field" or production stoppages. Recording characteristic vibration parameters on all moving machine elements and drive systems is ultimately an absolute "must" nowadays.
The characteristic oscillation, vibration or shock parameters are ideally recorded without any relevant additional mechanical load. This means that the sensor or the element recording and storing the mechanical parameters should be very small and light in order to avoid falsification of the recorded vibration parameters (so-called artifacts). Equally important, however, is the corresponding evaluation software, which provides the specialist with the required fault diagnoses quickly and clearly and thus forms the basis for precise and timely correction of problems.
Mini data logger as a long-term measuring laboratory
For some time now, the MSR165 miniature data loggers have proven their worth in many areas of application in the automation and mechanical engineering sector as well as in electrical engineering, in the transportation, automotive and vehicle industries or in the aerospace sector. The MSR165 logger, which is just the size of a thumb, specializes in vibration and shock detection applications. Its core sensor element is a high-resolution 3-axis digital accelerometer. With this and the downstream evaluation electronics, the robust data logger is able to carry out 1600 shock and vibration measurements per second in all three spatial axes (x, y, z) for up to five years. At the same time, temperature, humidity, pressure and light intensity can be measured and recorded.
The storage capacity of this small sensor and recording module is over 1 billion measured values when equipped with a memory card. The evaluation is carried out on a PC with software that is easy to use yet provides detailed analyses.
To ensure the optimum utilization of expensive production machines, the MSR165 can be used, for example, to monitor vibrations of servo axes or to measure vibrations on a tool turret of a production machine. These recordings allow the user to draw conclusions as to whether a tool is defective, a machine is overloaded, the drive is not running optimally, a service is required or whether vibrations are being transmitted to other machine elements. The latter is highly relevant for industrial tools, for example, as the service life can be massively increased by eliminating vibrations of all kinds.
Equipped with its sensor elements, this logger is able to record shock loads or vibrations of ±15 g in the three spatial axes, but an extended measuring range of ±200 g (g = acceleration due to gravity 9.81 m/s2) is also available. The latter measuring range is always useful when it comes to recording loads in which very large forces suddenly occur. The characteristic "good" vibration patterns can of course also be recorded and used for comparison in the event of a fault.
The data recording of the digital 3-axis accelerometer starts either when an acceleration threshold value is exceeded or at a time specified by the user. Even before the shock event, 32 sets of measurement data are recorded so that the history of the shock can also be viewed during a g-analysis. The user therefore not only knows that a hard shock has occurred, but also recognizes the exact course and cause of this mechanical damage.
Recording data for months
The MSR165 data logger, which works independently in long-term operation, has very low power consumption thanks to the powerful 3-axis acceleration sensor (150 microampere power consumption, 13-bit measured value resolution). The rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with 900 mAh capacity allows up to six months of shock monitoring as standard. To meet the demand for an even longer recording period, two options are available for the long-term power supply of the data logger: The MSR165 can be equipped with replaceable batteries (3.6 V, 2 x 7700 mAh, Li-SOCl2) for a longer recording duration. The batteries are housed in an industrial-grade, waterproof aluminum housing. Another option for extending the recording time of the MSR165 by up to six times is to use the "MSR Powerpack". This is an autonomous charging station with a capacity of 5000 mAh, which can recharge the data logger's internal battery during operation. The charging interval of the device can be set individually: 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.
Conclusion: Through the targeted use of miniature data loggers, all types of oscillation patterns or vibrations or shock loads can be detected and recorded in all areas of the mechanical engineering industry without artifact effects. The recorded parameters can then be evaluated quickly and cost-effectively for fault diagnosis and subsequent mechanical or electromechanical optimization. Ultimately, considerable time and cost benefits can be achieved, not to mention advantages in terms of the quality and reliability of machines and drives of all kinds.