n TECHNOLOGY April 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 14 AUGURY, A US COMPANY that specialises in applying AI to industrial reliability and process optimisation, has unveiled what it describes as the world’s rst AI-driven monitoring and diagnostics system for slow-rotating (1-150 rpm) machinery. The announcement comes shortly after the company raised $75m in a round of funding. The “breakthrough” monitoring system uses ultrasonic sensing and advanced AI diagnostics to detect faults early and accurately in low-rpm equipment that was previously considered too complex to monitor continuously. Historically, users of such low-speed machinery have had to accept costly downtime when failures occur. Even traditional monitoring systems – such as handheld devices or online monitoring systems – have been unable to avoid such disruptions. These tools rely on basic thresholds and manual guesswork, often triggering false alarms and missing critical early warning signs. Augury’s new Halo U2000 Ultrasonic Sensing system can monitor slowrotating equipment continuously, collecting long-sample, high-frequency (up to 100kHz) data samples. The sensor data is sent to a machine health monitoring platform which produces prescriptive diagnostics. If it detects any faults, the system delivers warnings including fault severity and root causes, as well as recommended actions. It can monitor hundreds of ultra-low-rpm assets and detect faults such as bearing failures, lubrication issues, damaged rotors, loose windings, gear problems, electrical faults, imbalances, misalignments and eccentricities. “In one instance, our Machine Health Ultra Low detected an impacting issue and a loose bolt in a critical rotary kiln gearbox at a mining site – a problem that, if left unaddressed, could have led to a devastating re,” reports Augury’s cofounder and chief product and technology ocer, Gal Shaul. “Rotary kilns, operating at 20-25rpm, are a prime example of slow-rotating machines that have been nearly impossible to monitor,” he adds. “By catching this issue early, we helped our customer to boost worker safety and avoid losing 4,000 hours and $100k+ to an unplanned downtime event. This is exactly why we built this solution – to bring real, measurable impact to the most challenging industrial assets. “Our machine health solutions are widely embraced in the industry for their fast time-to-value, high accuracy and transformative impact,” Shaul continues. “Yet, manufacturing environments continue to present complexities that demand more sophisticated solutions. Our team thrives on solving these challenges, and the low-rpm solution is an example of how we’re bringing our prescriptive diagnostics approach to a new frontier, delivering greater intelligence and reliability to the most dicult-to-monitor machines.” The low-rpm monitoring technology is part of Augury’s Machine Health 360° platform, which provides AI-powered diagnostics for dicult-to-monitor, yet critical, industrial assets. The new technology expands the platform’s coverage to hundreds of extra types of asset. Augury’s customers include PepsiCo, DuPont, and Colgate-Palmolive. Augury has analysed more than 500 million hours of machine data and generated an estimated $1bn of value for customers in more than 40 countries. It predicts that by 2040, its technologies could cut emissions by around 12%, resulting in 3 million tonnes in annual CO2 reductions around the world. www.augury.com SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC HAS launched a contactor that, it says, will revolutionise motor management, setting new standards for energy eciency, reliability and operational simplicity. The TeSys Deca Advanced device uses a one-click connection technology, claimed to cut installation e¢orts by up to 75%, allowing rapid deployment in critical environments where uptime is essential. The contactor uses a wide-band coil technology, capable of accepting control voltage inputs from 24–500V AC/DC. It not only withstands wide voltage ¥uctuations, but also reduces energy consumption, resulting in lower CO2 emissions and running costs. The wide-band technology also simplies selection and inventory management. The contactor has been engineered for reliability and has undergone rigorous testing. Its 100kA short-circuit current rating is said to o¢er ¥exibility to machine-builders. A three-layer set-up organises the contactor’s wiring for good visibility and accessibility, simplifying maintenance and troubleshooting. “Innovation is essential in the design of material handling, packaging, and logistics machinery as OEMs strive to meet the rapidly changing demands of this expanding industry,” says Antonio Di Vaira, senior vice-president at Schneider’s Power Products NAM Hub. “With the new TeSys Deca Advanced, we're excited to help machinebuilders optimise their solutions, reducing space and energy requirements. It's all about pairing advanced digital capabilities with operational simplicity, making their work easier and more ecient.” www.se.com Wide-band contactor will ‘revolutionise’ motor management First AI monitor for low-speed machinery follows a $75m injection Augury uses ultrasonic sensors to monitor the health of low-speed machinery
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