PARADIGM CHANGE – Predictive maintenance in the 4.0 era

Intelligent, predictive maintenance in accordance with industry 4.0 standards is no more a thing of tomorrow. The new Vibguard® IIoT by Pruftechnik with 16 analog channels for online machine and plant monitoring has an MQTT interface allowing it to be integrated seamlessly in the “Internet of Things” (IIoT = Industrial Internet of Things). The major advantages of the MQTT protocol include global data availability at all times, reduced data volume, and improved data security. Pruftechnik is therefore one of the first condition monitoring system manufacturers worldwide to offer this globally networked technology.

In addition to the standard modbus TCP interface, the new Vibguard® IIoT now features an MQTT interface as well. This opens the world of the “Internet of Things” to permanent online machine monitoring. The online condition monitoring system can be fully networked via a broker-client structure. Vibration measurement data is provided in a standardized manner and can be used seamlessly by other machines and programs (e.g. IBM Watson or Microsoft Azure). As a result, vibration measurement data can be directly linked with other measurement data (e.g. weather, flow rate, etc.) thanks to machine learning programs, for example. Evaluating such data allows machine and production processes to be sustainably improved.

Measurement data can be scaled effortlessly thanks to the “Publish-Subscriber” principle. The user is only shown the data that is really relevant via a “Tweet” (similar to Twitter). At the same time, live visualization is possible, too.

With the conversion to the MQTT protocol, Pruftechnik is entering the era of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The new Vibguard® IIoT with 16 analog channels is already fully equipped for the new era of industry 4.0.

The intelligent Vibguard® IIoT system guarantees that only the smallest amount of data required for continuous machine monitoring is saved. This reduces the strain on the existing IT network many times over and therefore reduces data storage and transmission costs in a sustainable manner. The MQTT protocol contains the latest security standards.

The new Vibguard® IIoT with 16 analog channels was developed especially for continuous online condition monitoring of stand-alone machines: Pumps, conveyor belts, fans, mixers, compressors, centrifuges etc. Thanks to its wide range of configuration options, it can be used in tower cranes and turbo compressors or other such applications, too.

For global data availability Pruftechnik supplies the browser-based Omnitrend® Asset View software. After logging in from any browser on any device, the machine states can be read at a glance in a clearly structured system. Unmistakable traffic light colors quickly provide information about the current machine status.

The MQTT protocol is now available for all Pruftechnik Vibguard® IIoT systems:

• Vibguard® IIoT with 20 analog channels
• Vibguard® IIoT with 16 analog channels
• Vibguard® compact
• Vibguard® portable
• VIBRONET® Signalmaster

Pruftechnik online condition monitoring systems that are already in use can be upgraded to the MQTT protocol via a free kernel update.