Define Instruments Zen IoT Gateway & Data Logger

Monitoring Machine Health and Routine Maintenance

The Background: Our customer manufacturers industrial-scale food processing machines. They seek a means of providing diagnostic information about these machines to their customers as a way to protect themselves from unnecessary warranty claims.

The Problem: The machines made by our customer are very complex and very expensive and include a warranty on all parts. The manufacturer has noticed that their customers often don’t perform the basic maintenance these machines require and let small issues—like coolant levels or small blockages—fester until the machines fail which leaves the manufacturer on the hook for repairs or replacement.

The manufacturer wants to provide the customer with some basic parameters of machine health like oil quality, motor temperature, coolant levels and motor vibration to make it easier for their customers to identify problem areas before those problems become a warranty issue.

The Solution: We recommended the Define Instruments Zen IoT gateway and data logger. By placing the appropriate sensors on the machine and connecting them to the Zen, users can easily see the current status of machine health. The Zen can also perform edge analysis on the incoming data and respond accordingly, either by alerting technicians about the conditions or by adjusting settings. Data is stored in the cloud for later analysis.

Remote Tank Level Monitoring

The Background: Our customer is a large mining operation that maintains a network of 20 storage tanks at their facility. They seek an efficient means of monitoring and logging the liquid levels inside those tanks.

The Problem: Previously, the customer monitored level by sending a technician to each tank, manually logging the level, and emailing the measurement to company headquarters. This method was not very efficient and did not allow real time measurement. A more technological solution was required.

The Solution: We recommended the Define Instruments Zen IoT gateway paired with a Define Instruments Zen Mini Remote Terminal Unit and level sensors. The Zen gateway (16 channels) and the Zen Mini RTU (4 channels) provide the 20 inputs needed to monitor the tanks. The wireless system seamlessly uploads measurement data to the IoT Cloud where it can be easily viewed in real time from any location.