Robots and software are now part of the industry landscape and continue to profoundly change the production sites.
These new and increasingly sophisticated tools are redefining both the work environment and the way employees can fulfill their missions, including those related to maintenance.
The monitoring of machines and their maintenance in optimal operating condition are the major beneficiaries of technological innovations, such as those related to the Internet of Things (IoT).
Monitor your industrial machines remotely
Thanks to new technologies, you can be informed of the state of the means of production and their performance without having to be present on site.
Start-ups and specialized companies offer the possibility to get precise data on the “health” of the equipment and on their performance through a terminal (laptop, tablet or even smartphone) connected to the Internet. But also to receive an alert in case of detected malfunction.
In this way, it’s possible to react quickly by contacting the maintenance teams, transmitting the information collected to facilitate their work and save time.
This significantly reduces the downtime of the machines and, therefore, mitigates the impact of these shutdowns on the company’s production.
Get support during interventions
Technological innovations provide improved means for intervention support when a maintenance operation is to be performed.
Information on the machine and the procedures to be followed to remedy the different types of failures that may occur are directly available on digital media.
The triple advantages are: being less cumbersome, more practical (easier access to information) and more complete (large storage capacities).
As a result, employees who are called upon to intervene become more efficient.
Some designers go even further in this logic of connected maintenance. They develop visual work instructions on different media.
These high-tech gadgets, like the Palm Studio, XSD or GRDF models, allow field staff to exchange real-time information with geographically distant experts, so they can share their screen with others.
They can see the scene and guide the operators when troubleshooting. The employees who are in direct contact with the machines can work with new media thanks to their visual work instructions.
Work with tools to better predict failures
In terms of preventive maintenance, we can consider that innovations can lead to considerable progress in terms of efficiency and optimization of productive capacities.
The central components of new generations of machine monitoring systems are the sensors. After being recorded, the data are processed, analyzed, and then related to reference values, such as the breakpoint of an equipment.
For example, a number of hours beyond which a machine may be damaged or become damaged.
The software component of this type of device is then responsible for warning users that the machine is approaching a possible failure. A maintenance operation can be then performed as soon as possible.
Interventions can be planned in advance and the tours of the maintenance teams can be organized in a more effective way.
There are no doubts that the industry of the future and maintenance are destined to become more and more connected.
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