When it comes to keeping machines in working order, there’s a lot we can learn by monitoring the vibrations.

Vibration analysis can detect problems before they become critical and provides real-time insight into the condition of rotating machinery, such as motors, fans, pumps, gearboxes, shafts, and diesel engines.

Excessive vibration is, in almost all cases, highly undesirable. It wastes energy and creates unwanted sound, and is often indicative of equipment in poor health. Such vibrations could be caused by imbalances in the rotating parts, uneven friction, or the meshing of gear teeth.

That’s where Saft client I-care comes in. Their latest product, Wi-care™ 130 Next Gen, is a plug-and-play wireless solution that helps customers to take control of their predictive maintenance and vibration analysis.

Determining the condition of equipment and being able to estimate when maintenance needs to be performed is crucial for making smart decisions about the health of machines.

Done right, it provides significant cost savings over routine check-ups or maintenance, because tasks are only carried out when warranted.

Predicting the unpredictable

Predictive maintenance is about forecasting tomorrow’s asset condition based on today’s data.

Being able to diagnose the health of assets brings immense benefits to an organization:

• The prevention of unexpected failures for critical assets
• Risk reduction and fewer health and safety incidents
• Reduced operational cost thanks to optimized inspection and maintenance planning
• Smarter planning of maintenance work on assets based on risk profile and condition
• Maximization of the asset’s lifespan
• Reduced CO₂ emissions and pollution from more efficient assets

However, vibration analysis was historically quite a time-consuming process that relied on expertise to understand the data that made unlocking said benefits difficult.

Now, the Wi-care™ 130 is helping to bridge the gap and provide clarity for organizations without the need for expensive equipment or complex data handling.

Sensors are magnetic but can be stuck to the machine or even fixed with studs. These sensors monitor the vibrations of an operating asset and relay the data to a cloud-based platform – I-see. Within five minutes of monitoring, they have collected all of the relevant data to provide a full diagnosis on machine health. It’s quite the departure from monitoring methods that required a number of days to analyze one machine.

Users can then review the data via the platform to make informed decisions about if, and when, they might need to carry out maintenance work on their equipment.

Early results indicate that the next-generation system leads to:

• Between 10% and 20% increase in asset ‘uptime’
• From 30% to 45% reduction in ‘downtime’ for monitoring and maintenance
• Over 95% of asset failures being accurately predicted

I-care™ has been at forefront of predictive maintenance technologies for over two decades, and the new devices are another way of helping organizations harness the digitization of maintenance processes – and keeping their equipment running safely and efficiently.

Each of the Wi-care™ 130 devices uses a Saft LS 26500plus battery – an update to the LS 26500 launched at the start of 2023. The new cell has an improved nominal capacity (an additional 10%) and retains the low self-discharge rate of Saft’s LS range that makes it perfect for sensors and measuring equipment.