Wireless sensors are ideally suited for the measurement of:

• Level
• Leakage
• Toxic gas
• Distance
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Shock
• Vibration

When transmitting measurement data to the control system wirelessly, all necessary corrective measures can be initiated in real-time in the event of critical deviations. The software and hardware of the wireless sensors support common interfaces, which allows the sensors’ integration with existing plant controls from leading manufacturers, such as:

• Siemens Simatic PCS7
• Siemens Simatic SCADA
• Phoenix Contact Niagara
• sysWORXX CTR-700
• and others

Wireless Connection of Monitoring and Control Systems

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) can be used to expand existing industrial plants and production processes, while reducing the costs of complex installation. Our WSN solutions work with wireless data standards based on IEEE802.15.4, such as Zigbee, 6LoWPan or LWMesh. The implementation of these standards ensures, among other things, an increased reliability and the ability for self-healing in systems. Operation and maintenance costs are reduced while worldwide interoperability is ensured, which guarantees independence from any single manufacturer.

Your advantages at a glance are:

• Integration of small, self-sufficient, battery-powered sensors in hard-to-reach places
• Optimization of the radio signal range depending on the environment
• Support for a large number of nodes in the network
• Quick deployment and ease-of-use
• Very long battery life (5-10 years)
• Robust networking via secure bidirectional wireless data transmissions
  
  • Retry acknowledgement
  • CSMA/CA procedure
  • Static network topologies (tree structure) with defined and optimized response times (latencies)
  • Safety: Adhere to emergency stop/off reaction times according to SIL

IoT Operational Monitoring: Energy Optimization for Industry 4.0

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept wherein different objects and systems are connected via networks, communicate with each other and exchange data. Entire production processes can be monitored and controlled via wirelessly connected sensors. The software allows system-specific (e.g. SPS7, Siemens SIMATIC, contact) and customer-specific (e.g. protocol adaptations, databases such as xls, string, mysql) implementations. We develop connections for various standards, including:

• Modbus
• Profinet
• Bacnet
• CANopen

Energy efficiency plays an increasingly important role in industrial plants. Moreover, wireless sensors can be used to monitor the recording of payload and/or nominal load as well as to transmit control signals for correction.

Energy consumption and costs can be reduced through process monitoring and optimization. With the help of wireless sensors, which are connected to each other in a wireless network, weak points in the production process can be detected and eliminated before any damage or losses occur in production.

Application areas for the wirelessly-controlled process monitoring include:

• Quality control
• Condition monitoring
• Predictive maintenance

We offer the development and optimization of special hardware, electronics and software for the precise control of the machinery and parameter monitoring for different processes. We develop WSN solutions for such production tools as the presses, pressure valves, heating elements, gas pressure springs, strain gauges (DMS), chippers, and CNC milling machines.

Intelligent Monitoring: Predictive Maintenance

Appropriate control systems can be used to measure signs of wear and calculate failure probabilities. Predictive maintenance can prevent machine failure, as well as reduce the potential for product quality fluctuations. Predictive maintenance also allows for better planning of maintenance intervals. Downtimes are minimized, service life optimized and possible failures reduced.

Application examples:

Automotive production
A screw in the chassis should always be tightened with a specific amount of torque. The torque wrench process parameters are transmitted wirelessly. In this way, the respective screw is mounted and individually controllable torque applied in accordance to specifications. At the same time, the charge status of the Pneumatic Air Screwdriver is monitored and available service life is indicated on the charge status display. This allows operating times to be planned and workflows optimized.

CNC milling and machining
By using wireless sensors in the tool, wear can be monitored. Downtime and quality losses in production can be avoided by timely replacement. Furthermore, the permanent wireless transmission of status data enables planning of required maintenance intervals.

Case Study: Moving from a Wired to a Wireless Industrial Monitoring and Control System

Our client operates complex industrial machinery and uses a proprietary monitoring system with a set of wired sensors. By monitoring vital parameters and transmitting data to the central server, the system enables predictive maintenance in order to minimize the machine downtime and improve operational efficiency.

The monitoring system was inflexible and expensive to operate. Unwieldy cables make it difficult to place the sensor nodes in the hard-to-reach spaces and in the vicinity of the rotating parts and mechanisms. Proprietary communication protocols limit the data collection software upgrade options as well as the overall system’s flexibility. Going wireless and incorporating the standard communication protocols was the way to overcome the system’s limitations and improve its efficiency, while reducing the operating costs.

A.N. Solutions performed a successful transition to a wireless monitoring solution, which resulted in significant cost savings that have been achieved thanks to quicker installation, optimized predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics and troubleshooting, as well as on-demand service and training.