What Is Condition Monitoring? Protecting Industrial Machines from Failure

What Is Condition Monitoring?

Condition-Based Monitoring (CbM) is the practice of continuously or periodically measuring physical parameters of machines — vibration, temperature, acoustic emission, lubricant analysis, and motor current — to assess their health and predict impending failures. Unlike time-based preventive maintenance (which replaces parts on a schedule regardless of condition), CbM intervenes only when measurements indicate actual degradation.

Key Condition Monitoring Technologies

• Vibration analysis — accelerometers detect bearing defect frequencies, imbalance, misalignment, and looseness in rotating equipment (motors, pumps, compressors, fans)
• Thermal imaging (IR) — infrared cameras detect hot spots in electrical panels, refractory degradation in furnaces, and lubrication failures in bearings
• Motor current signature analysis (MCSA) — analyses motor current waveform for broken rotor bars, bearing degradation, and load variations
• Oil analysis — detects wear particles, water contamination, and oxidation in gearbox and hydraulic oil
• Ultrasound — detects early-stage bearing defects, compressed air leaks, and partial discharge in HV equipment

Condition Monitoring Hardware Requirements

A condition monitoring edge node requires a compact, fanless industrial PC or SBC with:

• High-speed ADC or DAC inputs for vibration sensor data acquisition
• Sufficient processing power for real-time FFT vibration spectrum analysis
• Industrial network connectivity (Ethernet, 4G LTE) for data upload
• Wide temperature and vibration rating for mounting near machinery

TSL Automation supplies Avalue compact industrial computers well-suited for condition monitoring edge applications — contact us for hardware recommendations.