Smart Ccondition Monitoring Saves USD 30 Thousand In A Forging Unit

The 1000 Ton main forging press had a 75 HP motor and fed a trimming machine. The motor pulley combination was situated on top of the Press at a height of about 15 feet thereby reducing its access for routine maintenance. The company found difficulty ensuring constant uptime of the Press.

IDE was installed on the drive end of the remotely located motor. The IDE collected the tri-axial vibrations, temperature and noise levels of the motor instantly. Looking at the steady state vibrations, at the time of IDE installation, thresholds were set. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method to analyze the data helped in detecting the root cause of discrepancy in the vibrations. After 2 months of continuous monitoring, IDE detected a gradual rise in the vibrations of all the three axes. An alert was generated indicating the rise and notifications were sent in terms of an email and SMS to the registered authorities.

• [Process Optimization - Predictive Maintenance]
  

  Corrective measures facilitated resumption of the Press.

• [Management Effectiveness - Risk Mitigation]
  

  Prevented the cracked pulley from damaging other drive components. It also avoided a catastrophic disaster and saved life of the operator.