Machine monitoring guide
Machine health monitoring: catch the fault before the breakdown.
A machine rarely fails without warning. Vibration climbs, a bearing runs hotter, or the motor draws more for the same work. Machine health monitoring tracks those signs so maintenance is planned, not a surprise. Here is what to watch, and on which machines first.
What machine health monitoring is
Machine health monitoring, also called condition monitoring, tracks a machine’s condition while it runs, instead of waiting for a breakdown or opening it up on a fixed date. You compare today’s readings with the same machine when it was healthy. A steady climb is the warning.
The signs a machine gives before it fails
| Fault | What changes | What shows it |
|---|---|---|
| Bearing wear | Vibration climbs, then the bearing runs hotter | Vibration and temperature sensors |
| Unbalance or misalignment | Vibration rises, and load may rise too | Vibration sensor, energy meter |
| Loose mounting | Vibration rises and becomes unsteady | Vibration sensor |
| Motor overheating | Winding or body temperature rises, current runs high | Temperature sensor, energy meter |
| Supply unbalance | One phase carries more than its share | Energy meter |
| Overload | kW stays above the rated level | Energy meter |
| Pump or filter wear | More kW for the same flow or pressure | Energy meter, flow or pressure transmitter |
| Compressed air leaks | The compressor loads when nothing is using air | Energy meter |
What the energy meter already tells you
Half of that table needs no new sensor. A multifunction meter on the machine’s panel already shows:
- Overload time: how long the machine ran above its rated kW.
- Phase unbalance: the uneven load and voltage that heat a motor. See phase imbalance.
- Load drift: a machine drawing more this month than last month for the same work.
- Stops and restarts: frequent trips, by shift. See machine running and idle time.
Adding vibration and temperature sensors
Vibration is the earliest sign on most rotating machines. A Modbus vibration sensor mounts on the bearing housing and reports vibration velocity in mm/s. A Modbus temperature sensor watches a motor body, bearing, gearbox or oil. Both connect to the same wired RS-485 network as the meters, and are configured for your machines as part of your project. A 4-20 mA sensor connects through a Modbus input card.
Pressure and flow transmitters connect the same way, which helps on compressors, pumps and hydraulic packs.
Setting alert levels
- Start from the machine’s own baseline. Record a few weeks while it is healthy, at normal load.
- Use standard zones as a guide. ISO 20816 gives vibration zones by machine type and size.
- Use two levels. A warning to plan the work, and an alarm to act now.
- Watch the trend. A slow steady rise matters more than one high reading.
Overall vibration and temperature trends tell you which machine needs attention and when. On critical rotating machines, a specialist’s spectrum analysis then pinpoints the exact fault. These alerts support your maintenance team and do not replace protection relays.
Which machines to start with
Start where a breakdown costs the most, not where sensors are easiest to fit:
- Machines with no standby, where one failure stops the line.
- Air compressors, chillers and vacuum pumps that the whole plant depends on.
- Large motors, fans and blowers, where repair takes days.
- Pumps in hot, dusty or remote spots that nobody walks past.
One system, not two
Health data means more next to energy and running time. A bearing that warms up only under overload, or vibration that climbs when one phase sags, is easier to read when the readings sit on one timeline. KONDUKTOR® EMS keeps sensors, meters and machine monitoring in one on-premises system, so the history stays in your plant and alerts carry on without the Internet.
How KONDUKTOR® EMS monitors machine health
- Overload time, phase unbalance and load trends from the energy meters on your panels.
- Vibration, temperature, pressure and flow over Modbus, configured for your machines as part of your project.
- Alert levels per machine, agreed with your maintenance team.
- History kept on site, with Excel and CSV export.
Common questions
What is machine health monitoring?+
Tracking a machine’s condition while it runs, using vibration, temperature, load and similar signals, so a developing fault is found before it becomes a breakdown. It is also called condition monitoring.
Can an energy meter show machine health?+
Partly. It shows overload time, phase unbalance, load drift and frequent stops, where your meter reports them. Bearing wear and looseness need a vibration sensor.
Which vibration sensor connects?+
Any vibration sensor with Modbus RTU, and a 4-20 mA sensor through a Modbus input card. The sensor is chosen and configured for your machine as part of your project.
Is this the same as predictive maintenance?+
It is the part that gives predictive maintenance its data. Trends and alerts show which machine needs attention and roughly when, and your maintenance team plans the work.
Does it replace protection relays?+
No. Overload, earth fault and motor protection stay with your relays. Health monitoring gives early warning, so the relay is less likely to be needed.
Catch it early, plan the repair.
Book a live demo and see load, phase unbalance and overload time from meters like yours.