Making Factories Smarter Through Machine Learning
real time on the intelligent gateway and compared to trained data to identify anomalous operation and predict degradation down to the component level , prior to system failure .
3 . MACHINE MONITORING WITHOUT PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
Operational failure of the CNC machines ’ spindles can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of damages 13 . When spindle internal bearings fail , they effectively create a chain reaction that can destroy any linked device in close proximity due to stored energy . One such occurrence can shut down the production line for weeks , depending on the severity and spare parts availability . Total impact in terms of cost for a failure of this nature must include cost of materials and labor needed to replace the damaged parts and costs incurred due to system downtime , idling an entire production line and costs associated to delay of the assembly of vehicles waiting for the powertrains . Accounting for all related aspects including the idled workforce , total cost impact can easily reach millions of dollars per week .
For example , a major manufacturer installed a monitoring system where data was being captured but never analyzed . During a post mortem of a CNC spindle failure , closer analysis of the data revealed telltale signs indicating the system functionality was outside of its normal operating range . Specifically , key vibration data acquired days prior to the failure , as shown in Figure 3 , had a first peak , where failure initiated . At this first peak the only damaged part was a ball-bearing inside the component . Four days later , parts inside the bearing started to damage other nearby parts creating a catastrophic failure , where a 1.4g peak has been registered . At the first peak , the damage cost 25,000 € ( Euro ). At the second peak , the damage cost was 250,000 €.
Figure 2 : Data leading up to a CNC spindle failure with spikes reflecting anomalous behavior
13
X . W . B . A . S . D . &. L . J . Jin , « Present Status and Future Growth of Advanced Maintenance Technology and Strategy in US Manufacturing ,» International journal of prognostics and health management , vol . 7 , 2016
IIC Journal of Innovation - 33 -