Sick has launched a system that enables plug-and-play condition monitoring and preventative maintenance of sensors, machines, processes at plants at ports and terminals.
Named the Monitoring Box, the tool provides live status feedback and historical analysis, supporting more effective maintenance and optimised efficiency.
Enabled by pre-configured apps on Sick LiDAR sensors for collision avoidance, for example, the solution provides transparent data monitoring through an intuitive, browser-based dashboard for desktop or mobile devices.
Device data is processed via Internet of Things (IoT) gateways to enable local data storage on customer premises or via secure connection to the Sick cloud.
Neil Sandhu, Sick UK product manager for measurement and systems, said: “Bolt on the Sick Monitoring Box and transparent information about the health of your machinery is just a few short steps away. Depending on your requirements, information such as operating hours, wear, temperature, energy usage or level of contamination, turns into a valuable resource.
“As a result, your systems become more available and efficient. Unplanned maintenance time is reduced and operating staff can be deployed more efficiently to respond to any issues that occur. You will extend operating life through a better understanding of historical trends and patterns.”
To get started, a Sick service employee installs and activates the gateway, the devices are connected and data transmission begins.
If preferred, customers can then choose to hand over their entire device monitoring to Sick service, not only of Sick sensors, but also of third-party devices where appropriate.
Customers can log in and view their devices at a glance with the AssetBrowser, search by device status using the AssetFilter, view incidents and graphical representations to identify historical patterns and trends.
The data explorer and event log show a record of alarms and notifications while email alerts can be set up, for example, to notify operators when values go under or over pre-determined limits, enabling a fast response to maintenance and servicing needs.
Additional sensors can be integrated into the Monitoring Box without any programming knowledge.
