Condition Monitoring System Protective casing with responsive electronics

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A Combi-Norm-Classic casing from Bopla, with customer-specific electronics and software from Kundisch, serves as the protective shell for a Condition Monitoring System for energy chains. The electronics had to be extremely responsive in order to capture, evaluate, and respond to sensor signals that sometimes last only a few milliseconds.

In the digital working world of Industry 4.0, where everything is interconnected, predictive maintenance and upkeep play a crucial role. In this world, even purely mechanical products such as energy chains must be able to provide information about their condition. Specifically for this purpose, Tsubaki Kabelschlepp offers a Condition Monitoring System (CMS) for its energy chains. With its help, users always have a view of the condition of their energy guides. If permissible wear limits or the thrust and tensile forces occurring over long travel distances are exceeded, the system triggers an alarm and stops the process. In this way, the lifespan of an energy chain system can be fully utilized. Premature replacement is prevented, and the facilities are well protected against damage and unplanned failures. This saves operators time and money.

Condition sensors measure the degree of wear

The functionality of the CMS is as simple as it is effective: Condition sensors in the guide channel or in the drag chain bracket measure the degree of wear of the glide shoes as well as the push and pull forces on the carriers of energy chains with precise percentage accuracy. Since every machine is different, users can program the system for various use cases and set the thresholds individually. Free switching outputs for connection to one's own machine and plant control systems are also available. Thus, the CMS is particularly suitable for process-critical machines and facilities where high availability must be ensured. This includes, for example, production lines or cranes in steel mills or bulk material plants.

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Everything from a single source: casing, development, manufacturing

During the development of the CMS, the provider of energy chains had a knowledgeable partner at their side - Bopla Gehäusesysteme GmbH from Bünde in East Westphalia. "At first glance, you think of Bopla as a housing solutions provider, but not as a software or electronics development firm. But we can do that too," says Thorsten Penassa, Head of System Integration. The energy chain expert from the Sauerland region was also pleasantly surprised to find a provider in the specialists from Bünde who could offer everything from housing, through electronics and software development, to assembly including device testing and delivery in retail-ready packaging.

High demands on the hardware and software

At the time of initial contact, there was only a rough specification sheet. It was only in the course of discussions that concrete specifications for the hardware and software emerged. The device had to be easily installable by the customer in the control cabinet and intuitively operable, and it had to function flawlessly even under harsh environmental conditions. At the same time, the user interface should be customizable, and the housing design should reflect the corporate identity of Tsubaki Kabelschlepp. The requirements for the electronics were particularly high. It had to be extremely responsive to capture, evaluate, and respond to sensor signals that sometimes lasted only a few milliseconds.

As we had no previous experience in this field, it was a great advantage for us that Bopla was able to offer us complete advice on the hardware and software and summarized all the requirements for the housing, membrane keypad and electronics in a specification sheet

Daniel Berger

DIN rail casing meets DIN EN 60715 TH 35

Bopla suggested a Combi-Norm-Classic housing as the protective shell for the CMS. The light gray DIN rail housings of this series are 75 millimeters deep, 109.5 millimeters high, and available in five different widths (22.5 mm, 45 mm, 55 mm, 70 mm, 100 mm). They meet the DIN EN 60715 TH 35, offer a customizable operating interface, can be easily installed in conventional control cabinets thanks to comprehensive accessories, and otherwise possess all the features desired by the energy chain expert. "At the beginning of the project, we had selected a narrow version of the housing. However, during the consultation with Bopla, our requirements for the hardware increased once again. Fortunately, these could easily be fulfilled by the larger Combi-Norm-Classic housing CN 100 AK," recalls Daniel Berger from product management.

Electronics and software development by specialists

After resolving the questions regarding the suitable housing, the required connections, and the arrangement of the membrane keyboard, display, and labeling, the sister company Kundisch GmbH & Co. KG was entrusted with the development lead up to the sampling. The company from Villingen-Schwenningen specializes in the development and manufacturing of high-quality, individual membrane keyboards and touch systems, including the required electronics and software, and works on its own as well as custom solutions for clients, such as the CMS for the energy chain expert from Sauerland, in cooperation with the Bünde-based company. "Such a device, or the required electronics and software, did not yet exist on the market in this form," says Gero Jantzen, Head of Electronics at Kundisch, who, along with his team, initially developed a prototype of the tension and compression force measuring device, which the energy chain expert then used for initial tests. Required changes to the hardware and software were incorporated into the specification document and the further development of the device.

The signal is only available for a fraction of a second

A crucial element in the CMS is the proximity switch, which determines the wear of the energy chain and issues an alarm as soon as a user-defined threshold is reached. The CMS continuously visualizes the percentage of this threshold that has already been reached. In addition to the highly fluctuating measurement values, particularly the signal of the proximity switch, which is available for only a fraction of a second, posed a significant challenge for the developers. "The energy chain only briefly grazes the sensor. This creates peaks that the software has to calculate out to get to the actual measurement result," explains Gero Jantzen. Besides the visualization of the current status and measurement value via the display and external signal transmitters, these can also be read out via USB for documentation and evaluation, for example, in the event of service.

Already plans for the next generation

The first version of the CMS has just hit the market. Yet, the Sauerland-based company already has plans for the next generation. At that point, the software is to be expanded. "The housing and electronics are already prepared to such an extent. Therefore, no further modification is necessary," says Gero Jantzen, and Daniel Berger adds: "We are very glad to have found a partner like Bopla. Our expectations were exceeded time and again."