August 2021

n TECHNOLOGY July/August 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com 28 SICK HAS ANNOUNCED a safety monitoring service that generates live visualisations of one or more machines, allowing users to monitor the status of their safety processes in real time. The Safety Machine Analytics software can help to investigate the causes of stoppages and eliminate them, as well as providing longer-term analyses to help improve maintenance and productivity. The software collects data from safety sensors and actuators connected to a Sick Flexi Soft safety controller and routed via a dedicated gateway to a Web-enabled device such as an industrial PC, tablet, smartphone or laptop. It displays any interruptions in real time, as well as generating graphical representations of system trends, helping to improve OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). “The benefits of extracting data from sensors at the heart of machines have become well accepted as part of Industry 4.0 condition monitoring, however, for some users, connecting to safety systems may still feel daunting,” says Dr Martin Kidman, Sick UK’s machinery safety product manager. “Sick Safety Machine Analytics is a simple and secure way of taking a virtual tour around the safety systems on your machines to look for any weak spots. “You can drill down and identify any interrupts, so they can be quickly rectified,” he adds. “Once connected to a machine, this system offers a low- investment opportunity to identify where gains can be made in productivity by increasing machine uptime.” Users can upload images of their machines and overlay safety sensors onto the images, allowing easy navigation of real- time data. With access rights set by the administrator, the system then provides instant feedback, as well as longer-term historical analyses for maintenance and production management. Users can track system history with their own KPIs (key performance indicators) – for example, comparing a daily analysis of downtime with longer-term patterns to get a better understanding of system performance. Data can also be investigated for individual components – for example, monitoring safety proximity sensors to see how often a door is opened or closed. Information from the Flexi Soft controller is sent to the software via a standard Ethernet connection. All safety events are stored in an event log, enabling detailed analyses and helping to identify system improvements. www.sick.co.uk Machine safety dashboard system promises higher machine uptime Sick’s safety software can indicate any problems in real time on an image of the monitoredmachinery ABB has launched a digital condition- monitoring technology for conveyor belts that allows users to track speed, misalignment, damage, thickness and wear, slippage and the temperature of their belts in real time. The ABB Ability condition- monitoring service, which is aimed mainly at installations at processing plants and mines, helps to anticipate maintenance, avoid unplanned downtime, and improve belt reliability and lifetime. Damage to conveyor belts can cause costly losses in production. In-person inspections are usually needed to determine the condition of the belts. The new service offers an overview of a belt’s condition by continuously monitoring its health, and generating warnings and alarms if it detects any deterioration. By moving from preventative to predictive maintenance, it allows operators to avoid the costly failures that can occur between physical inspections. It also allows personnel to be removed from dangerous areas. The technology is based on a series of sensors installed at strategic points along the conveyor belt. It is designed to withstand harsh environments. The results of the analysis are shown on dashboards that display fault trends, alarms, data logs and reports, for single or multiple conveyors. The KPIs (key performance indicators) can be customised to suit the user’s needs. The data can be viewed remotely and warnings sent via text messages or emails. “Real-time monitoring of the actual belt performance prompts the necessary corrective actions ahead of failure or further and more costly damage,”explains Eduardo Botelho, product manager with ABB’s global material-handling service.“With equipment condition continuously assessed, operators can plan necessary maintenance only when certain indicators give the signal that the equipment is deteriorating, and the probability of failure is increasing. “It will consistently catch misalignment or speed issues online, long before failure, and pre-empt issues such as falling material, energy waste, excessive belt wear, rupture or fire,” he adds. The system can operate independently or can be integrated with a control system. https://drivesncontrols.news/77rqhn n Systemmonitors condition of conveyor belts in real time