Retrofitting Legacy Machinery with Smart Sensors

Industrial owners are continuously facing problems such as real-time monitoring, machinery downtime, data analytics, and predictive maintenance with a traditional machinery system. Most of the industrialists spend a huge budget on brand new machinery, equipment, or techniques. That’s why they easily achieve their higher productivity targets. Smart alternatives: Retrofitting Legacy Machinery with Smart Sensors: A Step-by-Step Approach

In this simple article, we will explore industrialists’ continuous turning into Retrofitting Legacy Machinery with Smart Sensors: A Step-by-Step Approach.

Table of Contents

Demand For Industrial Smart Sensors

As per the study of Fortune Business Insights, the global industrial market is valued at USD 19.28 billion in 2019, and it is estimated to reach 44.94 billion by 2032, or grow at a CAGR of 6.2%.

Why Retrolifiting Legacy Machinery Matters In Industries?

In the fast evolution of Industry 4.0, industrial owners must want to improve productivity without disrupting manufacturing operations, the automotive or metal industry. That’s why retrofitting legacy machinery with smart sensors allows you to:

Amplify performance
Predictive maintenance reduces downtime
Reduce downtime
Accelerate energy efficiency
Lengthen machinery life

And the plus point is that this is a cost-effective solution for every industry, and it does not require new machinery; it can easily integrate with old machinery. The industrial owners are turning into the retrolift sensors because they integrate with their old machinery or work with IoT sensors, or also do predictive maintenance.

What Are The Approaches Of Retrofitting Legacy Machinery With Smart Sensors: A Step-By-Step Approach?

Let’s understand how the old industries are adapting to smart retrofitting of legacy systems with smart sensors. Because retrofitting legacy machinery comes with smart sensors that easily analyse your structure, or by step approach that easily enhances your efficiency without replacing old assets, or not wanting to purchase new machinery. Retrofitting legacy machinery sensors, assessing equipment health by identifying data gaps with smart IoT technology. This system is connected to a cloud-based data system that shows you predictive maintenance and basic performance optimisation.

Major steps are:

Step 1: Measure the Machine’s Current Condition

Before choosing the smart sensors, you need to properly analyse or evaluate your manufacturing working conditions or performance. This process easily helps you to understand existing limitations and measure the exact areas where sensors can add value.

Major Points You Need To Check Industrial Machinery:

Measure the machine age or its operational time
Check maintenance records or history, also check replaceable parts
Measure faculty or patterns that affect productivity
Electrical & mechanical stability to ensure safe retrofitting.
High-risk components like bearings, gearboxes, and control panels.

This matchless detailed inspection helps you to find out the right sensor and install it in the most impactful location.

Step 2: Choose the Right Smart Sensors

The industrial smart sensors are the heart of smart industries or the retrofitting process. But it mostly depends on what you want to monitor or where you install.

Vibration detectors
Temperature sensors
Track energy consumption or parameters
For hydraulic machinery pressure parameters
For monitoring every movement, proximity sensors

All sensors are integrated with IoT digital interfaces, or they easily transmit data, making installation and maintenance non-disruptive.

Step 3: Connect Sensors to Control Systems

The older industrial machinery may not have digital interfaces or an output system. That’s why the adapters or gateways help the smart sensors to connect with older machinery systems.

PLC setup
SCADA control unit
Edge computing system
Cloud dashboards
MES software

These connectors ensure the smooth operation in the industry without changing older machinery or core functionality.

Step 4: Enable Real-Time Data Collection

Industrial sensors are equipped for collecting machine real-time data or monitoring minor activities of machinery. It does predictive maintenance before machinery failure.

Temperature measurement
Motion or vibration levels
Energy spikes
Machinery pressure
Operating cycle

Real-time data monitoring reports give you the best opportunity to measure machine performance or analyse machinery downtime.

Step 5: Apply Analytics & Predictive Maintenance

Using predictive maintenance sensors means measuring machinery’s real-time data or every condition monitoring. These predictive maintenance sensors help you:

Predictive maintenance failure
Reduce machinery downtime or save production time
Enhance maintenance scheduling
Reduce cost or heavy breakdowns

This step easily helps you to implement predictive maintenance and less breakdown costs.

Step 6: Create a Digital Twin

The digital twin system easily helps older machinery simulate performance, predict all machinery parts’ failure accurately, or understand the impact of load changes..

What Are The Benefits Of Adapting And Retrofitting Legacy Machinery With Smart Sensors: A Step By Step Approach?

Retrofitting a sensor reduces maintenance downtime or less maintainable.
Helps to achieve higher productivity targets
Enhance energy efficiency
Extend equipment lifespan
Increase workers’ safety
Maxim ROI at minimal cost

Some Frequently Asked Questions About Retrofitting Legacy Machinery With Smart Sensors: A Step-By-Step Approach.

Q.1 Is retrofitting sensors are cheaper for a manufacturing unit?

A: These retrofitting sensors are specially engineered to upgrade old machinery without full replacements, and this is cheaper than replacing the full machinery.

Q.2 Does it require high maintenance?

A: This usually requires less maintenance compared to a traditional system.

Q.3 What are the applications of retrofitting legacy machinery?

A: This used real-time data monitoring, predictive maintenance in manufacturing, automotive, metal, and plastic industries.

Q.4 How can I choose the best company for machinery smart sensors?

A: You need to check the company’s reputation, stability, or reviews so that you can easily choose the best industrial automation company for your industry, such as Unseen Era.