Sensors Bring Batteryless Machine Monitoring to all Corners of a Plant

Fluke Reliability has added the Fluke 3562 Screening Vibration Sensor system to its stable of machine-monitoring devices and cloud-based maintenance software. Pairing batteryless technology and long-range sensor-to-gateway communication, the Fluke 3562 can connect up to 1000 sensors to a single gateway. Fluke calls the unit a “set-it-and-forget-it” sensor that can operate continuously, even in hard-to-reach places.

Fluke says that by using its comprehensive vibration monitoring suite, maintenance teams can prioritize actions based on current conditions and if user-defined thresholds have been exceeded versus inspecting machines that are operating normally.

When combined with the Fluke 3563 Analysis Vibration Sensor for critical machines and LIVE-Asset management software, Fluke says maintenance teams will now have a comprehensive ability to assess virtually every asset in a plant, spotting machine faults before catastrophic failures happen and avoiding costly downtime.

The Fluke 3562 Screening Vibration Sensor draws power from a machine’s heat or the light in the room using thermoelectric and photovoltaic energy harvesters. The sensor screens overall vibration levels, temperature and humidity, as well as trending the nine highest FFT peaks, or frequencies at which the vibration amplitude is maximal, by magnitude.

Instead of only monitoring production critical machines, Fluke says maintenance teams can now track the other semi-critical assets that make up the vast majority of machines in a facility, without overtaxing staff.

In addition to batteryless technology, the Fluke 3562 Screening Vibration Sensor offers flexible wireless network capabilities and is scalable and long-range, thanks to long-wavelength signals and the ability to connect up to 1000 sensors. This allows the Fluke 3562 to be placed further from the gateway, allowing sensors to be installed in more hard-to-reach areas.