Plant Works & Engineering March 2022

Predictive Maintenance for grinding moves to cloud-based platform Maintenance Matters Problem Solver 30 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk March 2022 A BB Ability Predictive Maintenance for grinding is being moved to a cloud-based platform enabling new features including additional trend monitoring and analytics. ABB has released its new version of ABB Ability which is an advanced digital service to maintain, assess and analyse gearless mill drive (GMD) systems. The upgrade means that ABB Ability Predictive Maintenance for grinding is now cloud-based instead of sited on premises and includes a brand-new mobile application that allows real-time notifications on fleet status. The Grinding Connect mobile app, available for iOS and Android, means that mine operators can monitor performance at any time and from any place. ABB Ability Predictive Maintenance for grinding provides easy access to GMD system parameters and allows visualisation of performance considering past activity and real- time data and assesses future maintenance requirements. It aims to extend the lifetime of grinding assets through better use of resources and to support non-stop operation and to avoid unforeseen downtime. The new ABB Ability Predictive Maintenance facilitates greater data gathering. The data sample per mine is increased and analytics and trends are more reliably defined. The solution offers a new user experience with fully customisable dashboards, alarms and events all available on the mobile app. GMDs are the preferred grinding solution at mines characterised by higher-capacity production coupled with low ore grades. By eliminating bolt-on mechanical components such as ring-gears, pinions, couplings and gearboxes, GMDs offer ore producers unrivalled availability, efficiency and durability, while reducing OPEX. “A gearless mill drive is a major investment, and its availability is essential for the process,” said Angeles Fernandez, Global Product Manager for Grinding Service in mining at ABB. “Unscheduled shutdowns and system failures can lead to significant losses in production. ABB Ability Predictive Maintenance for grinding is a state-of-the-art service for analysing system data, assessing the current condition of the equipment and applying predictive methods. The new version is unique in the market and the new Grinding Connect app means you can check that your GMD is performing through your phone or tablet – it is as familiar as the many personal apps we use for monitoring our health, catching up with the news, or checking on the home or children.” A partnership to help customers improve efficiency and increase safety in field maintenance jobs has been launched by Ultimo and XMReality. The Swedish-based XMReality is a remote support platform that allows people to connect with colleagues or external experts to guide, inspect, verify or troubleshoot. While the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software provider Ultimo helps technical services and maintenance professionals gain better control over their assets. The partnership will enhance and simplify how on-site tasks are executed in Ultimo. XMReality says it is dedicated to improving and simplifying the way knowledge is transferred globally. Its remote support solution allows instructors and operators to see what a colleague sees on the site, enabling them to provide personal guidance as if they were by their side. Ultimo’s cloud platform helps technical services maximise asset availability and increase labour productivity. Patrick Beekman, Partner Solution Manager at Ultimo, commented: “XMReality makes remote field support easy, with no need to have experts physically visit the site. This saves time for asset-intensive companies with a large mobile workforce. By connecting Ultimo with XMReality, executing a work order from Ultimo becomes even easier, helping customers optimise communication and improve the efficiency of their maintenance processes.” Jörgen Remmelg, CEO of XMReality, added: “Our respective software solutions fit well together, and our business models are very similar. I strongly believe the combined product will be well received by the market. XMReality also gain a new sales channel from this partnership.” Partnership launched to help improve efficiency and increase safety in field maintenance