Nord Drivesystems expands Condition Monitoring with a modular IIoT solution

"Nord Drive Monitor" uses dynamically calculated and sensor-detected operating values to monitor the condition of the deployed drive systems. These include, among other things, phase currents, heat sink temperatures, and torques. The solution continuously provides this data for further processing.

Based on the collected information, plant operators can observe changes in operating behavior and identify potential signs of wear. Condition monitoring thus forms a basis for condition-based maintenance and predictive maintenance. According to Nord Drivesystems, this allows for better planning of maintenance operations, as well as reducing downtimes and outages. Furthermore, the manufacturer expects positive impacts on the lifespan of the equipment, production processes, and operating costs.

Frequency Inverters Take Over Data Analysis

The required information comes from the drive systems and the connected sensors. The drive electronics provide the collected operating data via a data bus. For their processing, the manufacturer uses, among other things, the programmable logic controllers integrated into its frequency inverters.

These can evaluate both drive data and additional sensor data based on predefined threshold values. This includes information about occurring vibrations, for example. In this way, certain operating conditions and deviations can be detected and assessed already at the level of drive technology.

Integration via "MQTT" and "TimescaleDB"

For the transmission and processing of operational data in higher-level systems, "Nord Drive Monitor" utilizes established technologies. These include the communication protocol "MQTT" and the database technology "TimescaleDB". Visualization is done using the dashboard platform "Grafana".

This allows users to display the collected operational values in a graphical interface and monitor the condition of their drive systems. The connection to higher-level systems simultaneously provides the technical prerequisite for integrating condition data into existing digital infrastructures.