Drives & Controls June 2022

n TECHNOLOGY Wireless technology ‘re-invents’ predictive maintenance SKF HAS JOINED forces with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a wireless technology which, they say, reinvents industrial machine reliability and predictive maintenance. The automated condition-monitoring system, called Axios, promises manufacturers a simple, affordable wireless technology for monitoring more of their rotating equipment. The system is the first result of a collaboration between the two companies announced earlier this year. It consists of sensors, gateways and a machine-learning service that is said to be easy to install, commission and scale with no experience needed, allowing sensors and apps to be up and running within minutes. It collects and analyses vibration and temperature data and if it detects anomalies, it send notifications to users, allowing them to take quick action to avoid unexpected machine failures. The more data that is collected, the smarter and more accurate the anomaly detection becomes. SKF says that the cloud-based system complements its existing portfolio of condition-monitoring products, providing industrial companies with a simple way to expand predictive maintenance for rotating assets. “With SKF Axios, we are able to provide a larger portion of the industrial market with actionable insights leading to improved decision-making and more efficient maintenance planning and scheduling,” says John Schmidt, president of SKF’s industrial activities in the Americas. “Through leveraging these insights and SKF’s knowledge of rotating equipment, customers can improve machine performance and overall reliability of their operations.” Vasi Philomin, vice-president of AI services at AWS, adds that the new system “represents a tremendous opportunity for industrial customers of all sizes to benefit from scalable, data-driven, machine- learning technologies”. It will enable industrial users “to make better decisions faster, increasing operational efficiency, and reducing the costs associated with unplanned equipment downtime”. The technology, which made its debut at the Hannover Messe, is expected to be available from July. www.skf.com/axios The SKF-AWS condition monitoring system is said to be simple and affordable