One-Line Machine and Process Diagnostics

Summary Good progress has been made in the development of diagnostic systems for machines. The computer has been used effectively to shorten the time and reduce the skills required by maintenance personnel for solving problems. Particular progress has been made in the areas of the relatively infrequent but complex CNC problems and the more frequent but less complex machine cycle hangups. There is strong research interest in the use of vibration signatures to anticipate the failure of mechanical elements such as slideway and spindle bearings. Commercial efforts in process sensing are not nearly as successful. New sensors are becoming available at a rapid rate. However most of them fall short of the desired goals. Research in this field is going on at many institutes and in many directions. It seems likely that no single breakthrough will solve all problems but that many successes will be found which will apply over limited areas.