b'\x1b\x1a\x19 \x1f\x18\x1d\x17\x16Machine TechnologySTAY-AT-HOME MACHINE MONITORING By William Leventon see merely as a cost and not as anitoring can be done remotely via investment, he said. As for thelaptop or cellphone.R ight now, whats providing thelatter, their internal path for prod- In addition to watching for colli-main push toward advanceduct validation can be long and havesions, B-Safe lets remote users keep digital technology at machiningsome roadblocks. tabs on vibration and temperature firms? Is it a sudden influx of moreNow,however,DAlessandro knowledgeable, forward-thinkingthinks that the pandemic is forcing leaders at these companies? No,machining operations of all sizes to its the threat that has driven mil- consider speedy adoption of ad-lions of people from workplaces allvanced technology if they want to over the world: the spread of thegain an edge over competitors or coronavirus. even stay in business.ThatstheviewofFrancescoAs an example of this type of DAlessandro, branch manager attechnology, he mentioned Balance Balance Systems Corp., Wixom,Systems B-Safe spindle monitor-Michigan.Thebusinessoffersing system, which comprises a sen-equipment that falls under the um- sor unit with a cable, along with an brella of Industry 4.0, which aims toelectronic interface. The sensor unit improve data collection and inter-connectivity of industrial machinery. He believes that this equipment can help machining firms cope with the consequences of the pandemic. But he also thinks theres a good chance that the people in charge at these companies arent even aware of whats possible.Among machine users, I think many decision-makers dont know that today there is technology thatBalance Systemscan help them, he said. By mak- Allowing remote spindle monitoring, the B-Safe system comprises a sensor unit with a ing a minimal investment in thiscable, as well as an electronic interface.technology, they can do a variety of monitoring and maintenance op- attaches to a machine spindle. Thewhen machining.erations remotely. cable carries data from the unit toIf the cutter or spindle is not Until recently, DAlessandro said,the electronic interface, which is lo- in good condition, the vibration many people in the machining in- cated in a nearby electrical cabinet. and temperature generated are dustry who did know about thisOne of B-Safes main functions istypicallyhigherthannormal, technology failed to embrace itto detect any type of collision dur- DAlessandro said. If this red flag due to cultural problems at bothing machining. Connected to theis observed while monitoring a ma-small shops and large manufactur- internet, B-Safe allows users to re- chine from home, a manager can ing plants. motely monitor machines and re- call the plant and tell the operator The former are skeptical of tech- ceive notification in the event of ato double-check the machine to nological novelties, which they oftencollision. Continuous machine mon- make sure everything is in order.12JUNE 2020 MachTech.indd 12 5/14/20 12:21 PM'