Keep Your Conveyors Running With a Wireless Transducer System

In today’s era of wireless technology, businesses are demanding the same ease of information transfer that individual’s get using their smart phones, cars and homes. If your business involves machinery that uses conveyor belts, then you know how important it is to keep an eye on the torque being generated against the gears so those belts keep moving. You don’t want a bottleneck on the production line. With a wireless force transducer, you don’t have to worry about learning too late that the force on your gears was too much.

How Does a Wireless System Work?

A transducer is a device that converts one form of energy into another. Generally, that translates into a physical force, such as pressure or torque, converted into an electrical signal. A force transducer involves measuring physical force exerted on an object and converting that force, often measured in pounds, into an electrical signal. Older technology required that someone be at the machine to monitor gauges. Today, a wireless transducer allows important measurements to be read real-time from up to 750 feet away.

The wireless force transducer works by simultaneously measuring tensile and bending forces created by the moving conveyor system. Sensordata-Burster accomplishes this by an on-board multi-axis sensor link and amplifier along with a 12-bit SAR ADC for each axis. Coupled to an on-board 915 MHz transmitter with an antennae and remote base station, the information is fed to a PC via USB cable.

When correctly installed, the transducer generates moving, real-time measurements of tensile force along with the force being applied on horizontal, vertical and oblique or Z-plane bending moments. Safe load maximums are calculated to be 150 percent of rated capacity for moments and 300 percent of capacity for tensile forces.

How Was the System Developed?

Working with conveyor system developers for the automotive industry, a map of combined stresses experienced within the production line is created and used for preventative maintenance. Using the schematic supplied by the manufacturer of the conveyor system, proper installation of the tensor system is accomplished. Following installation, data points reflecting combined stressors along the system are fed back to the computer in real-time. In this manner, personnel on the production floor are able to react quickly in identifying, diagnosing and fixing a breakdown before it occurs.

No matter what size operation you run, you understand the headaches and financial impact caused by equipment breakdowns. You want to stay ahead of the game by installing monitoring systems that will give you real-time information before there is a mishap, allowing your personnel time to react. No equipment can be guaranteed not to break down, but with a wireless force transducer in your arsenal, you know you’ve taken one more positive step in ensuring a smooth-running manufacturing process.