Wireless Monitoring of Packaging Converter Motors Prevents Downtime and Generates Positive ROI in Two Days

A corrugated cardboard packaging company manufactures cardboard sheets and converts them to boxes for packaging. This includes the standard regular slotted cases or “RSCs” as well as more complex packaging containers. Converter machines operate around the clock, forming carboard packaging.

With conventional preventive maintenance schedules, subtle signs of a motor’s mechanical fatigue aren’t always obvious or detectable. The packaging company had been using conventional preventive maintenance but wanted to move to a predictive maintenance model to reduce risk. Predictive maintenance employs continuous monitoring, which gives early warnings that allow intervention well before the motor fails. This avoids unplanned downtime and allows for replacement during scheduled shutdowns.

The packaging company installed a Banner Wireless Solutions Kit, which monitors both motor temperature and vibration. The kit is an end-to-end solution to integrate IIoT into common applications, simplifying the monitoring of motors, fans, pumps, and other rotating equipment.

The solution includes wireless vibration sensors and a DXM Wireless Controller enclosed in a sealed box with an HMI. The controller runs Banner’s VIBE-IQ software for analyzing motor characteristics and generating predictive insights and alerts. The data can optionally be sent to Banner's CDS (Cloud Data Services) for cloud storage and analysis. Battery-powered sensors are simple to install, and up to 40 nodes can be paired with each kit.

Within two days of installation, VIBE-IQ sent via Banner CDS an automated email to the maintenance team when it detected a converter motor running hot.

The motor was specified to run at 40 to 45 °C, but it was running above 50 °C. The warning also revealed signs of a failing bearing through abnormally high frequency acceleration. At the next scheduled downtime, the maintenance team examined the bearing, confirmed it was about to fail, and replaced it. The manufacturer estimates that without taking this action, the bearing would have failed within a few days. As a result, the converter would have suffered a catastrophic failure, shutting down production for an estimated 2.5 days (60 hours), while parts were ordered and the machine repaired. Instead, the advanced warning from the monitoring kit allowed the team to make repairs when the equipment was scheduled for shutdown.

The team was so impressed with the results of the Wireless Solutions Kit, it decided to update the entire facility with the technology. Fully outfitting the factory with this technology cost less than replacing a motor and much less than two days of lost production time.