Condition monitoring systems (CMS) are the eyes and ears of the feedback control loops that ensure long-term, problem-free operation of motors, drives and actuators and hence of machines and equipment. They work in the background, monitoring the temperature of bearings, the purity of hydraulic oil, the power consumption of electric motors and numerous other operating parameters. If things start to go wrong, they quickly raise alarm so that plant operators can take early action to prevent outages and production downtime. CMS will feature as one of the main display categories at the MDA (Motion, Drive & Automation) trade fair at this year's HANNOVER MESSE.
"Many drive system manufacturers will be coming to HANNOVER MESSE with new CMS systems and system refinements. That's because continuous condition monitoring, itself a form of factory intelligence, is an integral component of the Industry 4.0 vision, as reflected in the HANNOVER MESSE motto of 'Integrated Industry'," remarked Marc Siemering, Senior Vice President responsible for HANNOVER MESSE at Deutsche Messe.
This view is shared by Hartmut Rauen, the Deputy CEO of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the VDMA management board member in charge of power transmission and fluid power. "Power transmission and fluid power technology are fast becoming key components of Industry 4.0," he said. "Intelligent actuator units and actuator CPS modules for instance are currently being used to capture, understand and interpret actuator motion and function data and wear parameters. To that extent, condition monitoring systems are already being put to work to create viable business models."
