Electrical technology and ICA

The industry is undergoing a major upheaval. It is being called the fourth industrial revolution. Previously separate industries and applications are being connected and interlinked (e.g. electromobility with automotive, electric drives, power engineering, charging infrastructure, battery technology, electronic marketplaces, etc.). Electrical engineering is playing a key role in the success of technological trends.

Especially in the industrial sector, intelligent and networked systems are in demand (with Industry 4.0 being a key concept). Systems are being monitored more closely to further minimise machine downtimes and provide operational optimisation. To this end, ever larger amounts of data are being acquired and evaluated in real time whenever possible (with Big Data being a key concept here). At the same time, plant and control systems are becoming increasingly complex with greater demands for fault diagnostics. Open interfaces are replacing proprietary solutions. Flexible solutions are replacing static systems.

Trends in industrial measurement and testing technology

• Thinking outside of the box. When systems and malfunctions are more complex, troubleshooting needs to be simplified. Modern measuring instruments and software solutions are therefore becoming increasingly flexible and powerful while at the same time increasingly reliable and secure. Date acquisition, monitoring and control can be combined in one system. In this way, test stands can be used for a range of applications.
  
  
• The trend towards open standards. Instead of a large number of proprietary communication protocols, OPC UA enables data to be transmitted securely and in real time across all manufacturers using a uniform, open standard. The Expert series from Delphin is equipped with a data logger, vibration measurement and data recorder with an OPC UA server and client interface.

Increased testing requirements, faster and more efficient analyses

• There is an increasing need for testing during development, e.g. service life tests for the long-term stability of drives, gears, pumps, switches etc.
  
  
• Fault diagnostics in plant operation process large amounts of data at even greater speed delivering online evaluations during testing. To this end, process data and electrical measurement signals are being acquired in high resolution within microseconds and increasingly larger amounts of data are being processed in parallel in the shortest time possible.
  
  
• Testing technology is becoming faster, at higher resolutions while also storing long-term data. Test results are traceable at any time. Test stands, for example, are integrating measurement, automation and evaluation functions within a single system.

High-quality measurement and testing technology for electrical technology / ICA

• Example of condition monitoring: Condition monitoring systems (CMS) are being used for machine diagnosis and monitoring, for example, the condition of roller bearings including the measurement of bearing vibrations. Expert Vibro devices from Delphin support diagnostic and qualitative procedures (envelope spectrum) as well as quantitative procedures (vibration velocities).
  
  
• Example of the testing of motors: Tests can be carried out during development, in series production or as long-term tests. The testing technology has full galvanic isolation with temperatures, pressures, speed, electrical values and torques being recorded synchronously. Tests are fully automated, results are recorded with traceability functions and linked directly to ERP systems or databases.
  
  
• Example of fault diagnostics in a harsh environment: Malfunctions in plants and machines require detailed and high-resolution fault analysis, even in harsh environments. Delphin’s measurement case for fault diagnostics is robust and can be used in harsh environments. Integrated sensor feeds and an inbuilt setpoint generator to simulate sensors means that virtually no other external equipment is required.