Equipment Monitoring & Problem-Solving

Equipment Problem-Solving

Your customer’s condition monitoring alarms go off when:

  • Vibration Levels Increases
  • Temperatures Begin to Rise
  • Acoustic Sensors are Tripped
  • Abnormal Pressures/Flows are Detected
  • Excessive Wear is Detected
  • Equipment Failing or Underperforming

While many alarms may be normal indications for necessary    maintenance, some are due to structural issues manifest by:

  • Seasoned components were integrated into the system, but poor performance resulted.
  • Foundation or support structure is inadequate or degrading.
  • Rotating machinery has difficulty in maintaining continuous alignment or balance.
  • Changes/upgrades to a rotating system resulted in excessive wear, high vibration, or failure.
  • Changes to piping or foundation resulted in high vibration.
  • “The system never did run right” and the component suppliers keep pointing fingers at each other.
  • This production system has run perfectly at all other installations except yours.
  • Your process requires better performance than the original design.
  • The system integrator did not perform a torsional vibration analysis and you’re experiencing         component failures.
  • System has difficulty maintaining good performance over time.

We Address Structural Issues Associated With:

  • Reciprocating Engine/Generator Sets
  • Turbomachinery
  • Pumping Systems
  • Fan Systems
  • Production Engine Test Cells
  • Foundations & Supporting Structures
  • General Rotating Machinery & Conveyor Systems

Employing the Latest Technologies:

  • Advanced High Channel Count Test Equipment & Software Measuring Noise, Vibration, Strain, Displacement, Temperature, Pressures, Flow, Etc.
  • Motion/Video Amplification Camera & Software Tools
  • System Level Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Unattended Testing

Real-world operating data, collected in a product’s natural environment, is the best source of baseline information needed to validate designs and troubleshoot failure. For manufacturers and suppliers extended data sample sets provide a far more accurate representation of how a product will react to forces, vibrations, heat, fatigue, and the occasional anomaly than data collected through a controlled environment or tight window. But how do you monitor equipment 24/7; and how do you effectively collect data on a piece of equipment on-road, off-road, or offshore?

6D’s Unattended Testing monitors equipment around-the-clock ensuring that all events are captured and analyzed.  This long-term approach to field testing and analysis captures the quantity and quality of data to deliver a far more complete picture of the actual environment and stresses leading to structural failures.

Unattended testing answers questions like:

  • What is the normal and extreme range of conditions to which the equipment will be subjected?
  • To what degree will the components withstand vibration?
  • How are components best mounted on equipment?
  • Will long-term durability and quality goals be met?

Benefits

  • Monitor Equipment 24/7
  • Reduce Excessive Warranty Claims & Meet Performance, Quality & Customer Requirements
  • Continually Monitor Hard to Access Equipment & Locations
  • High Sample Rates & Channel Counts
  • Eliminate the Need/Expense of Engineers On-Site
  • Cloud Data Storage – Access Data from Any PC or Mobile Device

Data Logging

Data logging is a valuable technique used to capture and record various parameters and measurements over time. It involves the collection and storage of data from sensors, instruments, or systems to monitor and analyze performance, behavior, or environmental conditions. Data logging is widely applied across industries, including manufacturing, energy, environmental monitoring, and research. At 6D, we offer comprehensive data logging solutions, enabling clients to gather and analyze critical data to enhance operational efficiency, improve product quality, and drive informed business decisions.

Remote Monitoring

Unnoticed or seemingly insignificant problems can cause key equipment to fail. These issues can escalate and trigger a catastrophic chain of events impacting machinery, systems, and processes throughout the facility. Too often such problems are addressed after damage has occurred with the results being excessive repair costs, missed production schedules, plant down-time and non-recoverable revenue goals.

See an example here.

Real-Time Visibility

6D’s Factory Monitor Data Recorder provides plant engineers with the most current and accurate machine operating data. With real-time 24/7 visibility, plant engineers are alerted to changing conditions and potential problems allowing for immediate response at the first hint of trouble.

Off-the-Shelf Solution

The 6D Factory Monitor Data Recorder is easily adapted to virtually any factory requirement or environment.

  • Leverages the strength of off-the-shelf hardware and software tools from companies like NI, HBK and Dewesoft.
  • Supports a wide variety of sensor types.
  • Operates around-the-clock capturing and storing physical machine measurements.
  • Access real-time data – any place any time through any device
  • On-board memory stores 30 years of data files with automatic file save and restart.
  • Scalable to meet your changing requirements.

Remote Data Acquisition

With the ability to monitor equipment in remote or hard to access locations, Unattended Testing and Analysis provides the ability to gather, process, and interpret terabytes of data captured during months long, high-frequency tests of equipment on the fly.  As a result, manufacturers are gaining invaluable snapshots of in the field stresses that can then be used to troubleshoot equipment failures, tweak product designs, or even adjust validation tests to more accurately reflect real-world usage environments.

Cloud-Based Analysis

Employing sophisticated testing software, the system captures and streams data to a portable USB hard drive with on-board analysis results files and data plots uploaded to a cloud server. Within minutes of a data set being recorded results can be viewed or downloaded on a PC or mobile device. Allowing data to be remotely accessed, downloaded, and checked provides a whole new level of visibility and control. A two-way communication process allows testing to be modified without visiting the site or interrupting the operation.

Putting the Data to Work

Simulation is playing an expanding role throughout today’s accelerated product development processes. And Unattended Testing feeds simulation tools with the information to:

  • Replicate in-field operating conditions
  • Evaluate multiple design alternatives
  • Validate designs

6D collects and analyzes terabytes of data to uncover critical anomalies and hidden nuggets of information impacting product innovation, quality and performance.

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