Predictive maintenance
Very often, the utility of preventive measures such as forward-looking risk minimisation and preventive maintenance is not easy to see without a specific example case. Such cases are normally provided with theoretical insights or alternative use cases. To make it clear for smart plastics, we have spared no expense in preparing a real-life test case.
Today we want to take a concrete look at how we solve this at igus with i.Cee, our smart plastics range for predictive maintenance. In summary, this intelligent linear system offers integrated wear measurement including the reporting of predictive maintenance information.
drylin linear guide systems have to withstand extreme conditions in continuous operation or even in abrasive environments. So that the the linear guides can slide without lubricant, igus relies on linear bearings made of high-performance polymers. But when should I change the bearing? The smart linear carriage from igus helps here. Due to intelligent sensors, the maintenance technician receives information about the maintenance requirement at the push of a button.
This or something similar must have happened between Güdel and igus at one of the earlier Hannover Messe events. It was decided, probably along with a handshake, to feed the condition monitoring system from Güdel with the data from the condition monitoring system from igus (i.Sense).
At first glance, personnel capacity does not appear to fit in here but cut-backs in personnel are taking place in many areas of industry. However, maintenance is still essential or even has to become better and more reliable. In case you silently agreed to this and are asking yourself: “Exactly, but how?”