May - Library

75
m a i n t e n a n news c e
ArjoWiggins Saves Time with
Online Monitoring System
T h e r e ’s no escaping production downtime. But there
are two types of downtime: planned and unplanned.
The first means an outage need last only a few hours,
while the second can amount to a catastrophe. Shutting
down operations to perform regularly scheduled factory
equipment maintenance is a necessary evil. When
equipment fails without notice, however, it can be a
company’s worst nightmare.
Colin Angus understands that downtime is unavoidable.
But he also knows it’s controllable. His job as a
condition monitoring engineer at A r j o Wiggins SAS
(Issey-les-Moulineaux, France), a manufacturer of highquality
paper products, is to reduce downtime and
maintenance costs. Until a few years ago, he had relied
solely on a Microsoft Windows-based application called
Entek Emonitor® Odyssey from Rockwell
Automation to log and analyze vibration data collected
from 2,500 points within A r j o Wi g g i n s ’Stoneywood mill
in Aberdeen, Scotland. But the application required
considerable manual activity and it did not present
information in real time.
Angus knew he needed better information. He initiated
discussions with Rockwell Automation to develop a
better approach to satisfying A r j o Wi g g i n s ’m a i n t e n a n c e
requirements. The result was the development of an
automated monitoring system called Enwatch Online
Surveillance System that enabled the A r j o Wiggins plant
to reduce lost production time by more than 60 hours.
The Enwatch system was developed in about one year,
after consultations with engineers from the Entek unit
of Rockwell Automation Global Manufacturing
Solutions. The system was deployed in ArjoWiggins in
October of 2000 and its impact was felt almost
immediately. Within the first 18 months of
operation, the plant reduced lost production time by 66
hours. Although the data on the financial benefit of this
time savings is considered proprietary by ArjoWiggins,
Angus does report that the Enwatch system’s ability to
collect timely, accurate information, without stretching
the resources of the engineering and maintenance
departments, has made a significant difference at the
c o m p a n y. The 270-point surveillance system, currently
installed on two paper machines, has reduced the
number of hours required for planned machine
shutdowns. ‘And there is more scope to change out and
inspect suspect equipment before failure, saving us
from unexpected downtime,’Angus reports.
Angus says assistance from Rockwell Automation Global
Manufacturing Solutions was crucial in identifying
trouble spots in the plant. Early in the process, an
Entek-affiliated Global Manufacturing Solutions
engineer surveyed the machines and associated
equipment. Once it was decided to integrate Enwatch
with the existing manual data collection system,
Rockwell Automation, working with a sub-contractor,
installed the new system.
I t ’s important to have continuous contact with a vendor
when it comes to sophisticated software. Enwatch uses
permanently installed vibration transducers and
acquisition units to automatically collect data based on
a set schedule. The information is downloaded via a
LAN to the Odyssey software, which presents a
complete picture of the plant on PCs using Entek
PlantLink applications from Rockwell A u t o m a t i o n .
PlantLink brings an easy-to-read visual display of the
vibration data collected from the paper production
machines. All points have individual alarm levels.
‘We have had some notable successes with the online
surveillance system,’ notes Angus. ‘For example,
Enwatch detected damage to an underwire roll bearing
due to water ingress. The rolls were removed at a
planned shutdown before the possibility of wire failure,
which would have involved a 12-hour shutdown if it
happened during a production run.’
But the relationship didn’t end with the installation of
the system. Rockwell Automation dedicated an engineer
to set up alarms, determine level and speed parameters,
and provide training. ‘It was a great help as we weren’t
just sold a system and left on our own to get on with
i t , ’ remarks Angus. That same engineer is still A n g u s ’
point of contact at Rockwell Automation. ‘We have
three good years of specialist continuity.’m RESULTS
& BENEFITS: Cut lost production time by 66 hours
in the first 18 months of operation Reduced planned
machine down-time, thereby reducing maintenance
costs Provided automatic data collection every six hours
without additional manpower Provided real-time
remote monitoring and vibration analysis of critical
production equipment Offered complete picture of
plant operations through use of PlantLink applications
New PRUFTECHNIK Alignment
Tool - LEVALIGN
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Simply mark a surface grid on the work piece to be
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R O TALIGN PRO computer for each location point.
The difference in surface profile at each point is
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flatness or straightness.
L E VALIGN is designed for applications such as
machine foundations, bed plates, circular and
rectangular flanges and crane slewing rings.
Benefits:
• Precision measurement with resolution better
than 0.02mm/m