Advantech has released two new smart vibration sensors aimed at reducing the time spent on unplanned maintenance. The WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P can measure vibrations and report the most relevant quantities required for characterizing normal signals versus anomalies which may indicate mechanical problems in heavy equipment.
Vibration Sensors in Manufacturing
All moving machinery causes vibrations. Some are in the audio range, and some are outside of it.
How many times a day does a mechanic hear “my car started making this funny noise?” The problem is that by the time the car is generating that “funny noise,” the owner is looking forward to some unplanned maintenance, at best. At worst, there may be serious, permanent damage.
Vibration sensors can detect and characterize the sounds and vibrations coming from industrial equipment. A baseline signal is established, meaning either a fingerprint of a good, working frequency spectrum, or a determined set of parameters such as velocity and acceleration root mean square (RMS) signals, peak signals, and others. From then on, the system can listen for excursions from this fingerprint, which may indicate that something in the system has changed.
Bearings that are failing, gears with missing chipped teeth, unbalanced loads, and many other common maintenance problems will cause the vibration signature to change. Once the signal changes, the vibration sensor can alert technicians and they can start other diagnostic tools and begin troubleshooting before the machine makes a “funny noise” and unplanned maintenance is imminent.
The Advantech WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P vibration sensors with status indicator LEDs. Image used courtesy of Advantech
Advantech WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P
The WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P are both designed to measure the vibration signatures in motors, pumps, gearboxes, compressors, and other rotating equipment in one (Z) dimension. While one dimension may not sound like much, vibrations usually occur in all three dimensions, so simpler detection in one dimension is enough to alert the operator about potential problems.
The primary difference between the WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P is the extra computing power built into the WISE-2460P, as well as the frequency detection range (up to 10 kHz for the 2460 versus 8 kHz for the 2460P to account for the extra computing time). The WISE-2460 will report the velocity RMS, acceleration RMS, acceleration peak, and a few other parameters. The WISE-2460P has several onboard algorithms for detecting common problem profiles, such as unbalanced load, gear mesh misalignments, and others, saving operators valuable time during troubleshooting.
Both the Advantech WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P have a small footprint, making them easy to integrate with existing hardware. Image used courtesy of Advantech
Both models are accessible through Modbus RTU protocols over RS-485. An optional wireless module is available as well. They are also protected by IP68 housings, meaning they are safe from dust and other contaminants found in the industrial or manufacturing environment.
The Future of Vibration Sensing
In the early days of vibration sensing, a lot of computing power, and thus a large footprint, was required. Early attempts involved Fourier analysis of an incoming signal to determine which frequencies were embedded. Slight variations in signal led to false alarms, and the whole system was expensive, bulky, and cumbersome.
The Advantech WISE-2460 and WISE-2460P aim to change all of that. With their small footprint and ease of integration, vibration sensing can be performed more quickly and reliably than ever before.
