At an Indiana manufacturer, pumps that remove oil from a CNC machine’s coolant reservoir were failing twice a month. Metal chips were entering the pump, causing its motor to burn out. The bill: $3,600 per year in replacement parts alone.
Engineers at MxD had a solution: The MxD Sensor Kit, which enables manufacturers to monitor machines more closely, by generating data. Operators are then able to analyze the data and make changes that shorten downtimes and reduce failures.
Using the sensor kit’s analog input, MxD’s engineers were able to determine the machine’s optimal oil draw and set failure thresholds. The sensor kit now monitors the current level of liquid draw, and when the pump begins to seize, it triggers the stack light.
Workers now remove the pump, clean it and return it to service without the need for a costly repair or replacement.
From Half-Day Install to “Set It and Forget It”
Twenty-seven manufacturers have MxD Sensor Kits installed. One of those manufacturers, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, has installed 10 devices.
“We installed it in a half day,” said Christine Verni, chief operating officer, at Ergoseal, which makes custom and replacement seal types in Carol Stream, Ill. “From there, it has been ‘set it and forget it.’”
With four digital inputs, four analog inputs, four digital outputs and a stack-light driver that serves as a warning signal, the applications are numerous. It’s also lightweight (5 lbs) and portable; MxD engineers have even retrofitted a battery pack to it.
Capturing Vibration Data at a Chicago Foundry
At a Chicago foundry, large exhaust fans draw out the air so it can be cleaned. Currently, once per quarter, employees manually assess the fans’ vibrations to ensure they are working. With the retrofitted battery pack, employees now carry the sensor kit around, placing its vibration sensor on the fans to capture quantitative vs. qualitative data on the fans’ performance. An alarm sounds when the vibrations do not meet normal levels.
“We never envisioned MxD would make its own product,” said CEO Berardino Baratta. “But time and time again, we’ve run into small- and mid-size manufacturers who want to modernize but don’t know where to start. They worry about unknown and unexpected costs. MxD’s in-house engineering team designed and built the sensor kit to make the first steps toward modernization as painless as possible.”
Real-Time Equipment Tracking at a Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, services two classes of nuclear-armed submarines. Thousands of machines there, some dating back to installation in 1965, need maintenance and repair.
Shop floor superintendents couldn’t determine which of their machines were up or down easily, making it difficult to schedule maintenance and repairs. MxD’s 10 sensor kits now measure current, vibration, liquid flow and infrared (surface) temperature.
“Thanks to MxD, we became the first U.S. Naval Shipyard to achieve real-time performance tracking of industrial plant equipment,” said Adam Henckler, the division chief for connected equipment at Portsmouth. “This achievement has fundamentally changed the way we manage operations, respond to issues and plan maintenance.”
Fixing Faulty Welds with Current & Timing Data
Another Illinois manufacturer was grappling with faulty spot welds; they were breaking or burning components. The only setting an operator could adjust was percentage of power; think of it like the power level on a hair dryer. So operators had been using trial and error to determine the best power setting and time under weld to prevent faults.
Using the sensor kit’s electric current sensor, the company was able to associate every power level setting with an amperage draw. Parts were then run through at different time settings, using the same sensor as a timer. That enabled the company to determine the optimal range for both power level and time under weld, as well as know what ranges would result in breaks or burns.
An alarm now goes off when the amperage or weld time exceeds normal limits.
Monitoring Clean Room Conditions at Kent Displays
And at Kent Displays in Ohio, it’s measuring the temperature and humidity in a clean room they use to manufacture their products, which are wipeable screens..
“These MxD projects have been very good at improving our operation,” Don Davis, part of the technical services division at Kent Displays. “It saves us money, of course, but it really allows us to make more products and more innovative products.”
Using the sensor kit’s electric current sensor, the company was able to associate every power level setting with an amperage draw. Parts were then run through at different time settings, using the same sensor as a timer. That enabled the company to determine the optimal range for both power level and time under weld, as well as know what ranges would result in breaks or burns.
An alarm now goes off when the amperage or weld time exceeds normal limits.
