Machine Monitors
Description
Machine monitors are equipment which use sensors (accelerometer, tachometer and proximity probes) to measure machines’ output, cycle time and downtime automatically. They use electronic numeric controls and monitoring interfaces to program and calibrate computerized machinery. They are small computers with a keypad and single line display. They run software which use signals from machines and perform the functions such as measuring machines’ cycle time, count the number of parts made, detecting when the machine started to produce parts and when did it stop production (with the help of clock). The information collected are stored in machine monitors in their battery back end memory which are transferred to a host computer (connected by cables) for getting a report. This local storage in monitors helps the system to bear the faults in host computers or in the cables. Machine monitors’ specifications include electrical ratings (AC supply voltage, DC supply voltage, AC input frequency), drives (resolution, number of axes, drive power) and memory (random access memory, flash RAM)
Types
The types of machine monitors are:
Advantages
Some of the advantages of machine monitors are
Fast and accurate measurement
Counts parts accurately
Constant monitoring of cycle time of machines
Record of machine’s running time and reasons for downtime
Instant calculation of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
Helps to increase capacity by finding reasons for inefficiency
Identify worn out machines
Applications
Machine monitors are used for checking parameters such as temperature, corrosion, oil condition, speed, pressure, wear and vibration. They are used to determine whether machine is damaged, is it properly mounted or is the work piece positioned properly and also for detecting clamping errors, thermal shifts and broken tooling during rapid transverse. Machine monitors are used in lathes, presses, CNC machining centers, tapping machines, injection molding machines, compression molding machines, assembly machines, transfer lines, thermoforming machines, packing and filling lines and in tube bending machines. They are used in automotive, military, aerospace, marine, medical and general industrial applications.