“The machine batters the hydraulics to death,” Andy says. “We’re in there every day, replacing parts, repairing, sampling and maintaining oil.” “It’s the same for Simms Metals where we look after their plant – we keep their machines running.” Healthy systems verified “As the industry gains momentum, we want to stay in front,” Ian says. “We don’t want to supply a pump or a filter, we want to supply, monitor and service the whole system. I’m working on the electronics to make this work as we speak.” This takes the randomness out of planned maintenance. “We’re not just guessing, not just telling you your pump or filters are due to be replaced, we’re verifying what the machine’s doing,” he says. Andy interjects, “All the hoses are flushed, capped, tagged with a unique number and put on a hose database. This
data is sent to the customer and they have full traceability – when the hose was flushed, when it was made and when it’s due for replacement, based on a four-year lifespan. “There will be sensors to monitor pump performance, speed of the motors, the efficiency of the system, pressure drops, accumulator charge pressures, everything.” Ian continues, “We set parameters of what the machine should be doing. We watch the pumps, the systems, the valves; look for anomalies and if the algorithm output runs outside the parameters, we can tell the customer there’s a problem before it becomes apparent. “We’ve just received the data loggers for use on site, which I will be able to operate remotely from the van and I’m now in talks with various companies to supply the sensors and build a cloud- based system for us.
“With the iO-link system collating all the data and putting it into the cloud, we won’t even need to go to site, we’ll be able to see it from here in the office. “Both we and the customer can access the data remotely. Eventually, we will be able to make adjustments without even being on site. “A schematic CAD drawing of the machine will have all the live data on it and in due course the customer will be able to pull parts off the CAD drawing and order them.” Remote operation is a work in progress, however. “The challenge is finding a way of accessing the data in the cloud at all times,” Ian says. “Wherever we install this system there has to be a good internet connection. “For now, I can monitor the system from 100 metres away using Bluetooth. What I want to be able to do is monitor the system from my armchair 150 miles away.”
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