Posted to News on 21st Jan 2022, 08:57
SICK Monitoring Box opens window to better machine performance
System enables plug-and-play condition monitoring and preventive maintenance of sensors, machines, processes and plants
The new SICK Monitoring Box can be adapted for diverse individual operating requirements to provide live status feedback and historical analysis, supporting more effective maintenance and optimised efficiency, states the company.
“With the SICK Monitoring Box, all kinds of industrial operations from manufacturing and logistics to ports, transport systems or waste management facilities, can begin to digitalise their processes on the road to Industry 4.0,” adds SICK. “Enabled by pre-configured Apps on a wide range of SICK sensors, the Monitoring Box provides transparent data monitoring through an intuitive, browser-based dashboard for desktop or mobile devices.”
Device data is processed via powerful IoT gateways to enable local data storage on a customer premises or via secure connection to the SICK cloud.
Simple and adaptable
“The SICK Monitoring Box is so simple and adaptable that the opportunities for condition monitoring are limited only by your imagination,” says Neil Sandhu, SICK UK product manager for measurement and systems. “Bolt on the SICK Monitoring Box and transparent information about the health of your machines is just a few short steps away. Depending on your requirements, information such as operating hours, wear, temperature, energy usage or level of contamination turns into a valuable resource.
“As a result, your machines and systems become more available and efficient. Unplanned maintenance time is reduced and operating staff can be deployed more efficiently to respond to any issues that occur. You will extend the operating life of machines through a better understanding of historical trends and patterns.”
Data at a glance
To get started, a SICK service employee installs and activates the gateway; your devices are connected and data transmission begins. If preferred, customers can then choose to hand over their entire device monitoring to SICK service, not only of SICK sensors, but also of third-party devices where appropriate.
Users simply log in and view all their devices at a glance with the AssetBrowser, search by device status using the AssetFilter, and view incidents and graphical representations to identify historical patterns and trends. They can use the Data Explorer and Event Log to review a record of alarms and notifications. Email alerts can be set up – eg, to notify operators when values go under or over pre-determined limits, enabling a more speedy response to maintenance and servicing needs.
“Thanks to the pre-defined monitoring SensorApps, additional sensors can be integrated into the SICK Monitoring Box without any programming knowledge. Once installed, greater transparency enables sensors and machines to be monitored remotely. Operating and process parameters can be easily visualised.”
Robust security
The SICK Monitoring Box offers a reliable system architecture, robust data security and password-protected access rights, adds SICK. “SICK provides the corresponding IoT gateways for network-capable sensors and machines to ensure encrypted transmission of data, either to on-premises data storage or off-premises on a secure server hosted by SICK in Germany.
For customers choosing the SICK cloud solution, an encrypted connection between the SICK TDC-E gateway and SICK cloud is made via https. This secure connection is audited according to IEC 62443-4-2 (SL2).
