Bearing manufacturer Schaeffler was recent honored by the Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) with the 2021 “Bearing Manufacturer Excellence of Innovation in Product Design Award” for its breakthrough OPTIME condition monitoring device.
OPTIME is an easily scalable condition monitoring system that consists of wireless, battery-powered vibration sensors, a cellular gateway and an app to visualize the resulting data. Able to be installed and deployed without any prior condition monitoring expertise, OPTIME is designed to provide advance warning of potential damage to machines such as electric motors, fans and pumps. It also offers early notification of imbalance, misalignment and loose-fitting components.
Data captured by OPTIME’s sensors is analyzed using proprietary algorithms that draw on Schaeffler’s technical expertise, its extensive library of physical models developed and refined over many decades, and the experience in condition monitoring that Schaeffler has built up in the course of its bearing servicing operations.
