Dr.-Ing. Alexander Engels

From Condition Monitoring to Proactive Service in Mechanical Engineering

SPALECK, a machine builder for vibratory conveyors and vibrating screens used in recycling, chemical, and food processing plants, integrates condition monitoring into its long-lasting machines to avoid downtime in linked process lines. The challenge was less about data collection than about operational responsiveness: local traffic-light indicators were overlooked, and rigid thresholds are not reliable early-warning signals when products and operating modes change. To derive service decisions from machine data in time, machines were quickly connected via edge routers from IXON and data was made available in the cloud. aiXbrain added ML models for predictive maintenance as an integrated app (Dataray) — including in-platform labeling, model comparison (false positives/negatives), and automated retraining. The solution is deliberately kept open via interfaces such as OPC UA, PROFINET, and APIs, so operators can integrate the data into their own plant dashboards. Benefits for IT/OT decision-makers: fast rollout, secure remote access, a scalable data pipeline, earlier fault detection (several days of lead time), and service-ready processes with clear alerts instead of additional tool overhead.