MANAGEMENT | PROCESS CONTROL
service calls can be scheduled in advance allowing downtime interruptions to be kept to a minimum. Using the remote service option for ZSK extruders, Coperion can provide support to customers at short notice including direction to personnel on site. The condition monitoring system focuses on two
Figure 1: Vibration monitoring data captured by JSW’s Gearbox Alert System, which uses statistical analysis techniquers to predict bearing wear issues
Source: JSW
alert. Inspection inside the gearbox at point B, for example, indicated there was damage to one of the bearings and that it was no longer usable. The system has been shown to be able to detect micro-failure as far as three months in advance of a component no longer being usable. In this case, the deteriorated gearbox was repaired with minimal part replacement and reduced downtime. German compounding machinery maker
Right: Coperion offers condition monitoring as an option on ZSK extruders from 43mm upwards
Coperion now offers the option to equip gearbox- es on its small to mid-sized ZSK twin screw extruders (43mm to 133mm) with a condition monitoring system capable of data analysis. Such a condi- tion monitoring system has been in use on large ZSK extruders for many years and has proven itself able to significantly improve maintenance task plannability. The company says the
reliable and affordable system identifies irregularities in extruder gearbox operation early enough to avoid potential damage. As a consequence, required
important ZSK extruder gearbox parameters - vi- bration and oil condition. To monitor vibrations, accelerometers are mounted on the extruder gearbox at several points, each measuring indi- vidually arising vibrations for each gearbox bearing. When the vibrations approach a critical threshold, a warning signal is sounded. Using the EpcNT extruder control tool, an engi- neer or machine operator can visualise the operating condition of every gearbox bearing and gauge the overall gearbox condition at a glance. Moreover, important condition parameters, such as the vibration amplitude in the corresponding frequency band, can be added to the display separately for each bearing. Over the long term, damage to the ZSK extruder gearbox and corresponding downtimes can be avoided, the company claims. The gearbox’s oil condition is determined using flow sensors that constantly measure the oil quality in the lubrication system. Extended oil use can cause the quality of the oil to fluctuate and, as the gearbox oil approaches a critical threshold, the condition monitoring system will alarm for this as well. Required oil changes or maintenance tasks are identified early and can be carried out as part of long-term planning. In addition to making machine insight available to
Euromap updates OPC data specification
Euromap – the umbrella organisation representing the European plastics and rubber machinery industry – has released version 2.0 of Euromap 84, which includes OPC UA information models for extrusion equipment. According to Dr Harald Weber,
Director Technical Commission Euromap within the German machin- ery association VDMA, the association had published specifications for
34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2022
extrusion applications in June 2020, designated as the OPC 40084 series. He says the background to the new release is that VDMA is covering more machine types and therefore needs to harmonise information models. Euromap 84 version 2.0 incudes definitions for complete extrusion lines as well as component-focused sections covering individual system components such as extruders, melt
pumps, filters, dies, and pelletisers. It covers three broad models of information flow: where each compo- nent has its own OPC server and is connected directly to an MES, where a line control collects data from the components and forwards to the MES using OPC or other protocols; and where the line control is included in an extruder. �
www.euromap.org
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: COPERION
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