Knauf Gips KG, based in Iphofen, Germany is a family-owned manufacturer of building materials. Their maintenance team were looking for a condition monitoring solution for a range of their production equipment. After approaching Schaeffler, Knauf were impressed with their professional consultation, the simplicity of its solutions, and the possibility of having an overview of all machine types on one user interface. The team decided to monitor the product cooling ovens and the motor on the Roto-Packer machine with Schaeffler’s OPTIME Condition Monitoring (CM) solution.
A challenging production environment
Due to the ambient conditions and harsh production environment, many machines and components are subject to heavy wear. In the past critical equipment has shutdown unexpectedly due to the dust and dirt generated during the manufacture process. There is a significant risk of dust and dirt accumulating on the blower blades, which in the worst-case scenario, can lead to unplanned breakdowns of the machines.
Matthias Niedner, Deputy Plant Manager & Head of Maintenance at the plant, comments: “Our customers want to order our products ‘just-in-time’, which is why our machines have to run 24/7. Therefore, reliable condition monitoring of our machines and lubrication points is important.”
Many machines are located in dangerous, difficult-to-access areas and so pose a challenge to occupational safety. The new CM solution had to consider this aspect.
Smart wireless solution
With the array of CM systems available, Schaeffler recommended different monitoring solutions for different applications. OPTIME CM was chosen for the product cooling ovens and Roto-Packers. The scalable solution consists of wireless sensors, a gateway and a digital service that includes automatic data analysis in the cloud and the provision of key information in an app and a web-based dashboard.
OPTIME CM is so simple to set up that the maintenance team installed and commissioned it themselves after a brief introduction.
Shortly after commissioning, alerts were displayed on the dashboard. Low-frequency vibrations were increasing in the product cooling ovens, which indicated that the fans were unbalanced. On investigation, the blades were found to be caked due to heavy contamination. After cleaning, they worked again without any problems.
Maintenance also received a warning via push message on the Roto-Packers. Iso value, envelope curve and temperature were rising, indicating that bearing damage was imminent. In the end, the motor had to be replaced.
Multi-channel solution
For monitoring the rotary kiln, maintenance preferred to use the multi-channel ProLink condition monitoring system (CMS) from Schaeffler. Its high performance enables reliable monitoring of the rotary kiln, despite the variable operating conditions and surface temperatures. An LTE router is used to connect the rotary kiln’s measurement data to the OPTIME cloud. Integration into the company’s own network is not necessary.
Proven benefits
Knauf saw various benefits of implementing the CM systems:
- A cost-effective solution to monitor machines wirelessly.
- Simple reading of the data and alarms via an app on smart phone.
- Easy, quick installation and initiation of the OPTIME components.
- No more manual checking of difficult-to-access machines; the app and the dashboard provide transparency on the machine condition.
- Reduced unplanned downtime of monitored machines.
Knauf has installed the OPTIME CM monitoring solution in other plants. At the Satteldorf plant, for example, they also use the additional advantages of the OPTIME Ecosystem, which results from the combination of Condition Monitoring and Smart Lubrication.
Oliver Burggraf, TPM Coordinator at Iphofen II comments: “It is important for me that we move away from mere reactive maintenance to planned maintenance. With the OPTIME condition monitoring solution, we were able to diagnose the first failures shortly after installation and avoid unplanned downtimes. Adding the intelligent OPTIME C1 relubrication solution opens up completely new possibilities for us. I simply look at my cellphone and have an overview of my machines on just one platform.”
Read the full story here: https://medias.schaeffler.co.uk/en/success-stories/0215
Schaeffler (UK) Ltd
- info.uk@schaeffler.com
- http://www.schaeffler.co.uk
- Unit 308 Fort Dunlop Fort Parkway Birmingham B24 9FD GB
About us
Schaeffler Group – We pioneer motion
Schaeffler (UK) Ltd holds a total of 180 years of bearing experience and know-how. As a leading rolling bearing specialist we provide customers with innovative bearing solutions from a single source for a variety of industries, as well as condition based maintenance solutions. Our technical knowledge is second to none. Whatever the application we have the solution for you.
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UK Ireland, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America
Industries we supply to
Automation, Chemicals, Consultants, Components Electronics, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, OEM, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Plastics and Rubber, Recycling, Textiles, Tobacco, Water and Wastewater
