February 13, 2024
Increased availability and safety with smart AI sensors
By using AI to analyze the data we collect via IoT sensors, we can predict potential failures before they occur. The sensors, which are used at our site in Ludvika, Sweden, contribute to saving production downtime while making the maintenance work safer and more sustainable.
Since the autumn of 2023, we have been using IoT sensors on several machines at our customer site in Ludvika, Sweden. Thanks to the fact that the sensors are cloud-based, they can analyze and compare data from this site as well as other locations in the world, and through this detect trends and eventual failures even before they occur.
This enables us to plan our maintenance efforts well ahead, leading to less production downtime as well as making the work safer and more efficient.
– Since the system is cloud-based, we can, for example, benefit from what they learn in places where there may be several years of data, which is a great benefit with these, says Martin Alatalo, Maintenance Engineer at Quant.
Condition-based maintenance reduces waste of resources
The sensors are connected to quantPredict, our cloud-based monitoring system for compiling and analyzing collected sensor data. Should a deviation be detected, a work order request is created, and we can then plan and schedule the work order for our maintenance staff.
– Planned downtime is always better for the production, as they have an opportunity to reschedule their staff to other areas during the time we have to carry out maintenance work. It is one of the biggest advantages of using sensors, that we can predict potential failures before they cause a breakdown, says Martin.
– In addition, our work becomes safer as we can carry out risk analyzes and review the safety situation well ahead before the work is to be carried out.
The sensors also enable a shift towards condition-based rather than time-based maintenance, contributing to more sustainable operations.
– Thanks to the sensors, we can calculate the actual operating time and perform maintenance based on that, instead of doing it according to a time-based maintenance schedule. This means that we can carry out maintenance when it is actually needed, and in this way adapt the usage of spare parts, oils and similar based on the operating time of the machines, thus avoiding waste of resources, says Martin.
Smart solutions for increased efficiency and safety
This development is part of Quant’s global IoT strategy, which in 2023 has been rolled out to several sites both in Sweden and the rest of the world. Also at these sites, the use of sensors has contributed to more sustainable, efficient, and safer operations.
In Ludvika, the plan is to expand the use of sensors to include more machines, and to combine them with other smart solutions.
– Among other things, we will start using smart metering cartridges on some machines. It increases the level of safety, while at the same time we can reduce the downtime, says Martin.
