What is Condition Monitoring?

Overview, Techniques & Tips

a. Definition

Condition monitoring (CM) uses Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors

and other tools to continuously track machine health and measure
vibration levels, temperature, or other measurements. When something
changes in the machine, these tools trigger an immediate alert notification,
letting maintenance teams act before the asset potentially fails.

Vibration sensors are particularly important condition monitoring tools for

identifying the four most common rotating machinery faults: imbalance,
looseness, bearing damage, and misalignment.

Condition monitoring using vibration sensors is a scalable way to monitor

and gather data from a broad portfolio of production critical and semi-
critical assets.

Machine condition monitoring opens the door to predictive maintenance

strategies like condition-based maintenance (CBM). Condition-based
maintenance studies the health of specific machines and the likelihood of
their failures, then uses that real-world data to make maintenance
decisions. That stands in contrast to preventive maintenance, or calendar-
based maintenance, where work is performed whether it’s necessary or
not.
b. How Does Condition Monitoring Work?

Condition monitoring uses networks of connected sensors, gateways, and

software, to collect, process, and analyze machine data. The combined
connectivity creates an integrated system that lets maintenance teams
collaborate and make decisions from anywhere in what’s called Remote
Condition Monitoring.

Remote Condition Monitoring happens when wireless condition monitoring

sensors pair with cloud-based software, so technicians and other reliability
professionals can access the data remotely using a computer, mobile
phone, or laptop.

c. Benefits of Remote Condition Monitoring

Remote Condition Monitoring lets maintenance teams prioritize and

optimize their maintenance schedules based on asset health. Wireless
and/or wired sensors placed on machinery can monitor asset health
continuously, and if conditions change, an email is automatically sent to a
designated maintenance team member. Armed with Remote Condition
Monitoring, teams can make data-based decisions.

Remote Condition Monitoring Benefits:

 Early detection of machine problems

 Quick, data-based decisions
 Moves maintenance teams to condition-based maintenance
 Improves maintenance planning to prevent downtime
 Reduces costs tied to maintenance, inventory, and production
 Increases asset lifecycle and ROI