IMI Sensors Announces the New Bearing Fault Detector PLUS

The New Bearing Fault Detector PLUS
Model 649A03

IMI Sensors - a global supplier of vibration sensors, switches, and related accessories - launched the Bearing Fault Detector PLUS, which is a new sensor designed to monitor rolling element bearings and provide a sensitive 4-20 mA signal to plant monitoring and control systems for early alarming of faults.

A leading advantage of the new model 649A03 is that it contains an accelerometer and 4-20mA transmitter in a single housing and has multiple specialized outputs. When used with a control system, these outputs provide an early warning of bearing defects such as cracked races, brinelling, looseness and spalling.

The Bearing Fault Detector PLUS is ideal in applications with critical rotating machinery requiring continuous monitoring. IMI has specifically designed model 649A03 to be sensitive to high frequency vibrations in rolling element bearings; vibrations which indicate the early stages of wear and damage. It serves to provide a proactive warning to any Predictive Maintenance technician by increasing its 4-20 mA output proportional to this high frequency vibration. The scaled output can be used to both trend the data and trigger vibration alarms in a PLC or DCS to closely monitor when machinery should be shut down and its bearing should be replaced.

The 649A03 is a simple drop-in replacement for traditional vibration transmitter units as it uses the same loop power and 4-20 mA output. IMI has kept the installation requirements identical and added 4 additional outputs so that the user can select the detection method that best suits their application. This makes the Bearing Fault Detector PLUS a great option for anyone currently using a control system with 4-20 mA inputs at their facility.

With five different outputs that aid in detecting faults, the 649A03 can be programmed and tuned to specific machinery through a computer program simply using a USB cable. Users can chose from traditional outputs including RMS Acceleration and Crest Factor. They can also select from specialized outputs including True Peak Acceleration, Compensated Peak Acceleration, and Crest Factor Plus - designed specifically to be sensitive to high frequency energy caused by bearing faults.

These specialized outputs now allow for an all-inclusive transmitter that can pick up high frequency energy in the early stages of a fault, even on machines of various speeds and bearing sizes.

For easy and effective monitoring of bearings and excellent protection of your critical machinery, or for more information on the Bearing Fault Detector PLUS, call 1-800-959-4464 or visit www.pcb.com/4_20_mA_Transmitters/Bearing_Fault_Detectors.