The rise of smart compressed air systems
In an age where everything seems to be SMART, it’s perhaps easy to overlook just how important IoT-led technology has become in the context of compressed air systems. This is why we feel it’s important to showcase remote compressed air monitoring technology and the benefits of remote compressed air monitoring here.
What is SMART technology?
The term SMART technology originates from self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology. A smart device is an electronic device connected to other devices and networks via WIFI, Bluetooth or 5G. It works by acting in-between the user and the device and can be used to control or monitor the device.
Can SMART technology help my air compressors?
Quite simply, yes. In fact, SMART technologies are tools being used to support the fourth industrial revolution – or Industry 4.0, as it’s more commonly referred to as. And this is where air compressors and smart technology converge.
If you’ve ever wondered ‘what does a smart compressed air system do?’ or ‘how can I use air compressor remote monitoring?’, or if you’re looking at whether or not to buy remote air compressor monitoring technology’, then the following three points should clear a few things up.
1. Now you can see into the future
Prior to the Industry 4.0 boom, air compressor maintenance was reactive or scheduled; that is, either it broke and needed fixing or it was serviced, as per the schedule, regardless of whether or not it actually needed it. Now, performance and monitoring solutions such as AIRMATICSTM can offer predictive maintenance by letting plant workers know when an air compressor is behaving unusually and needs attention. An Intel whitepaper on the use of IoT highlighted how air compressor manufacturer Fusheng was able to improve its first-time fix rate by 20 per cent and decrease downtime by 25 per cent with an IoT monitoring solution for air compressors. Predictive maintenance is proactive maintenance, and it also prolongs the lifespan of an air compressor.
2. Pitch perfect
How do you indefinitely keep a plate spinning at the perfect speed so that it doesn’t slow down and fall off, or speed up and fly off? The answer: with great difficulty. The same principle applies to air compressors. Before the advent of SMART technology, if you wanted to make a compressed air system as efficient as possible it came down to manual intervention by engineers, who constantly had to adjust performance based on their interpretation of a constant stream of data.
Now, with remote air compressor monitoring, the responsibility falls on software, which is capable of making a greater number of decisions than any engineer – or even a team of engineers – can make. All in real time, too. Through remote monitoring for air compressors, you can achieve the highest performance 24/7. AIRMATICSTM remote monitoring, for example, can reduce energy consumption by up to 30 per cent – irrespective of the type, size, brand or age of air compressor used.
3. Don’t procrastinate, automate
Through SMART technology, engineers or site supervisors can remotely manage a compressed air system as easily from a Spanish beach as they can from the plant room. SMART compressed air monitoring technology also offers a visual interpretation of an air compressor’s output, or even the output of an entire system, which can be viewed from anywhere, giving engineers the freedom to improve performance from any location in the world as long as they have access to a device and an internet connection. This technology also arms engineers with the data, and therefore intelligence, required to forensically interrogate their system and extract more value out of each compressed air asset than ever before.
Not only that, but air compressor automation is now possible, which allows monitoring software to control the entire system to ensure that each and every air compressor is synchronised and performance is optimised 24/7.
Ready to leverage the power of IoT connected air compressors?
If you’re interested in gaining a 360-degree overview of your compressed air system, want to know how to reduce compressed air energy costs or simply need to future proof your compressed air system, contact the AIRMATICSTM team on +32 (0) 552 37090 or email sales@cmcnv.com.