Chain condition monitoring system measures elongation

The CCM system is compact and can be easily integrated into most chain applications, either on new-builds or retrofitted to existing machinery. Commissioning is 'plug-and-play' without any need for calibration, and contactless measurement does not affect the chain drive performance. The chain's wear status can be read on the LED display in graduations of 0.5 per cent increments and also presented onto a laptop interface via USB cable and simple software.

Variable speeds and changeable directions are no problem for the CCM system, which is manufactured from corrosion-resistant materials and a wear-resistant chain guide material. It is protected to IP67 and can be used at temperatures from 0 to 70degC, with special designs possible for abrasive applications. The CCM system can be used for most chain sizes including simplex, duplex and triplex chains, since only one strand of the chain is detected by each device. Applications for chains with attachments on both sides or extended pins require special inspection by iwis.

Florian Madlener, one of the engineers who developed the system, explains: "With the new CCM system, we have implemented predictive maintenance, a key subject of Industry 4.0: the system enables predictive action by the service staff in chain applications with smart data analyses. The most valuable customer benefit is that the maintenance staff can react in time. This prevents long downtimes of plants and machines, danger to promised delivery times and interruptions of the logistics chain - all of this helps to avoid financial loss from production failure. Additionally, the system also serves permanent monitoring of highly precise chain applications."

Follow the link to download the Chain Condition Monitoring system product brochure.