smart plastics
Machine failures and downtimes are among the biggest cost drivers in industry. It is therefore important for maintenance personnel to act in good time to prevent unplanned stoppages. With the new i.Sense EC.W low-cost service life sensor from igus, users can now make their e-chain smart from just 248 euros. Thanks to real-time condition monitoring of the energy chain, maintenance is easier and more cost-effective over the entire service life.
Internet of Things, big data and autonomous robots: the transition to Industry 4.0 is in full swing. This also applies to components that work in machines and have long since become smart by providing data on their condition, for example. But integrating smart technologies is often complex for companies and involves external installation effort. This is exactly where we start with the SMS module for our i.Sense systems.
Strain gauge sensors are small sensors that measure relative changes in length. They often consist of a protective top layer over a wire applied in a zigzag pattern to a thin plastic backing. If the strain gauge sensor (and thus also the wire) is compressed, its resistance decreases; if it is stretched, its resistance increases. Elongation can be calculated from the change in resistance. You can use this characteristic by applying strain gauges to components whose elongation you want to determine.
The smart plastics sensors from igus: they monitor abrasion, measure the pull/push force and provide information about an imminent overload. But how does the maintenance manager get concrete information about the condition of the system? The solution from igus for this is the i.Cee:local.
However, the financial benefits of Condition Monitoring Systems are often difficult to assess, especially because the initial investment in a modern condition monitoring system does not initially reduce costs, but rather increases them. Therefore, in the next sections, we will look at the financial impact over the entire utilisation period with a break-even analysis based on practical experience in an automotive production hall.