Sensorless fault detection in linear axes with dynamic load profiles

Press lines are commonplace in the automotive industry. They typically use transfer systems to transport parts from one manufacturing stage to the next. Since these transfers are forced to endure great loads, both the gears and the shaft break fairly frequently and need to be replaced. Since every minute of downtime these maintenance tasks require costs manufacturers a lot of money, a condition monitoring system able to detect or predict damaged parts in linear drives would allow them to schedule maintenance so that downtime can be minimized and costs reduced. This paper presents a new method of fault detection for dynamic load profiles which is non-intrusive and requires no additional sensors. After a brief overview of the state of the art in fault detection and condition monitoring, the new method will be explained and demonstrated using measurement data from a press transfer.