Introduction

Equipment is like an investment for an industry or organization. It is only equipment that will ensure that the business continues to run. This clearly explains the importance of condition monitoring of any equipment.

With this, it is also important that proper care and maintenance of the equipment is done. Many injuries and accidents have been reported in the recent past due to the failure of machinery or equipment at the workplace. So, keeping a check and observing the equipment/machinery will help to avoid such failures or injuries.

What is Condition Monitoring?

Before understanding the importance of Condition Monitoring it is equally essential to know the meaning of Condition Monitoring. Condition monitoring is observing and monitoring the condition of the equipment regularly and noting down the irregularities and faults in the functioning of the equipment to avoid injuries and add to the lifespan of the equipment.

It involves measuring specific equipment parameters like the temperature or oil of the equipment, the vibrations of the machine, and other related factors that can lead to the impending failure of the equipment. Condition monitoring helps in knowing the current and past history of the equipment. It will help in understanding the performance of the equipment and what measures or precautions need to be taken beforehand. It also analyses the failures beforehand so that maintenance can be planned accordingly.

Also Read:

1. Difference Between Online and Offline Condition Monitoring
2. A Few Real-life Use Cases Of Condition Monitoring
3. A Complete Guide to Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM)

Methods Used for Condition Monitoring

There are a number of condition-monitoring techniques. There are two methods that are widely used for condition monitoring. They are-

• Condition checking involves the monitoring of the equipment periodically while the machine is in use. This will help in checking the condition of the machine at that given point in time. 
• Trend monitoring involves the monitoring and interpretation of data on a regular and continuous basis. It helps in figuring out the primary damage caused in the initial stage. It is thus preventing the more significant damage that could be costly to the machine.

These methods will help in understanding the failures and abnormalities of the machine and how the machine's health can be maintained.

Importance of Equipment Condition Monitoring

Mentioned below are the points that will help us in understanding the importance of Condition Monitoring-

• Condition monitoring helps save the cost involved in maintenance considerably because condition monitoring closely observes the condition of the equipment and can predict when maintenance is needed. Regular maintenance and tracking add to the additional cost and also lessen the life span of the equipment.
• It will also prevent the loss that would happen if the machine is stopped, and then the maintenance is done—thus impacting the production. In the case of condition monitoring, the machine can be observed, and the faults can be catered to while the machine is running. So, the maintenance can be done without causing the machine to stop. For instance, if there is some problem with the oil in the machinery, it can be fixed by keeping a close check on the oil condition and can be changed accordingly without causing the production to stop. This becomes possible with the feature of condition monitoring.
• It is also essential to be aware and have good knowledge about the equipment that is being used in the industry. Condition monitoring helps with this, as well. Every machinery used in the industry has its own set of characteristics and traits. Through condition monitoring, the engineer can better understand these traits and help in making better decisions in regard to the maintenance and performance of the equipment.
• Condition monitoring Services also helps the engineers to know and understand the faults and abnormalities of the equipment so that action can be taken in advance, and some major casualty can be avoided. If there is any change or discrepancy in the machine, the engineers can understand in a better way and get the problem fixed. It’s always a good idea to get the problem fixed first rather than using the machine which has a problem with it. Thus, taking up considerable time and effort.
• Condition monitoring aims at the efficient working of the machine to meet the demands of the operation required by the industry. This will need a set of people and processes so that the equipment can work efficiently and have a long span of life. 
• Condition monitoring will lead to better plant operation and sound quality which will increase the rate of output and productivity.
• It will also ensure customer satisfaction and better consumer engagement, as there will be fewer faults or inconveniences caused to them because of proper care and maintenance.
• It will also provide a base for designing a better plant in the future as condition monitoring will help in generating all the details and problems that might occur during the use of existing equipment. 
• Through condition monitoring, one understands the possible faults and abnormalities in the equipment. Thus it leads to better negotiations with the plant manufacturers and repairers so that better equipment can be invested in the future.
• Condition monitoring also ensures that the equipment is not overburdened or they are treated before it reaches the critical situation.

Conclusion

Condition monitoring helps in understanding the problems caused by the equipment because of varied factors. One of the main importance of Condition Monitoring is that it detects the signs of deterioration at an early stage so that the damage caused is not too heavy. In all, it saves the organizations time, money, and resources.