Smart chain condition monitoring

A new, intelligent system from chain vendor iwis antriebssysteme prevents production downtimes resulting from unscheduled maintenance and repairs – it permanently monitors chain elongation and provides a timely warning so that appropriate action can be taken.

With the chain elongation monitoring system CCM-S (Chain Condition Monitoring ─ Smart), users can permanently monitor the elongation of chain drives on the basis of sensors without having to compromise production by interruptions. The patented system measures the elongation of chains during live operation. It enables companies to take early measures by providing maintenance staff with timely information as to when certain measures need to be taken and whether a chain needs to be re-tensioned or replaced. The system's intelligent data analysis enables service staff to plan service activities and personnel requirements in advance.

“Continuous chain elongation measurement offers some decisive benefits for our customers,” says iwis value engineer Florian Wimmer. “These include fewer downtimes and interruptions to production on machines and systems, which can jeopardise a company's ability to meet promised delivery dates. If maintenance can be planned, the maintenance staff can react in good time with the help of our system.”

The CCM-S module is plug and play. The module is installed in the machine and the system is ready for use as soon as the cable is plugged in. If the module is installed in an existing chain drive, users can immediately start evaluating the data on wear in the chain drive using either iwis software or IO-Link.

Since the CCM-S detects only one strand of the chain, it can also monitor duplex and triplex chains. The solution can be retrofitted in a variety of applications without the use of special attachments on the chains.

For more information, visit www.iwis.com