Press release from 13.02.2019

Digital tool: Live operating data thanks to intelligent sensor technology

Industry 4.0 ready: ASPION makes ROMAI gearboxes smart

The Karlsruhe-based company ASPION is known in the transport and logistics industry for its smart transport monitoring solution G-Log. The sensors developed by ASPION monitor goods on the transport route and digitally record shocks and climate fluctuations. Now the smart sensor technology "made by ASPION" is also being used in the manufacturing industry: It provides live operating data of the milling and spindle head solutions of the Vaihingen-based family company ROMAI Robert Maier GmbH. Under the name ROlog, ASPION Sensortechnik logs speeds, climate data, operating hours and applications and outputs the data wirelessly via NFC or Bluetooth via app on a smartphone or tablet.

Tools 4.0 for preventive maintenance

In production, the aim is to avoid costly machine downtimes or loss of quality in the finished products due to tool wear as far as possible. Preventive maintenance, i.e. continuous maintenance before the end of the life cycle, was previously hardly possible due to a lack of reliable data. Digitalization has now made a monitoring system for permanent monitoring with live operating data a reality in the machine tool sector as well. The data obtained using modern sensor technology not only enables targeted, quality-assuring and cost-efficient preventive maintenance, but also makes maintenance reliably plannable.

Live operating data at the touch of a button

The ROMAI operation logger, ROlog for short, systematically determines and stores operating data of ROMAI gearboxes using sensors, software and microprocessors. The industry 4.0 application gives a complete overview of the real operation of the tool and warns of exceeded, self-defined limit values. The data obtained is transferred in real time via Bluetooth or NFC to standard smartphones or tablets and visualized using the ROMAI ROlog app. In use, the data logger records the maximum and average values for speed, temperature and relative humidity as well as impulses or shocks occurring in several axes. Operating hours, number of operations, remaining operating times, current maintenance status including digital service booklet are also logged and displayed. The collected data is stored in the cloud and is then available for systematic analysis.

Application areas of ROlog sensors

ROMAI milling heads are used in almost all areas of machining. Due to the large number of application areas, the corresponding loads caused by load collectives are very different. By systematically recording and evaluating collected performance values, maintenance cycles can be optimized and the service life of the gears used significantly extended, regardless of the area of application. The ROlog sensors can be used with most ROMAI gearheads.

About ASPION GmbH

ASPION GmbH develops and markets energy-optimized, smart sensors with wireless communication for industrial 4.0 applications. The Karlsruhe-based company was founded in 2011 by Managing Director Michael Wöhr. In addition to the award-winning standard product ASPION G-Log for transport monitoring, engineering services in the field of hardware-related development with solution integration round off the range of services.

About ROMAI Robert Maier GmbH

ROMAI Robert Maier GmbH based in Vaihingen/Enz produces precision gear reducers which are used worldwide in medical technology, automotive, wind power, aerospace as well as tool and machine construction. For more than 60 years, the company's own design and a unique vertical range of manufacture with more than 80 % have been among the quality features of the family-owned company.

https://www.romai.de/en/