Condition Monitoring
Understanding Condition Monitoring – iAdept’s Predictive Reliability Approach
As the name suggests, Condition Monitoring involves tracking specific parameters in machinery or systems to identify existing issues or predict developing faults. Much like a doctor diagnoses human health based on symptoms, condition monitoring evaluates the “fitness” of machines or systems using measurable data. At iAdept, we refer to this approach as Predictive Reliability—a method that brings planning, foresight, and efficiency into your maintenance schedules.
While condition monitoring is often seen as a cost center, we’ve consistently demonstrated its ability to generate significant returns. Predictive reliability technologies help prevent major losses caused by unexpected failures and downtime. With scheduled maintenance, parts inventory can be managed proactively, reducing both production losses and excess stock. Components can be ordered as needed—avoiding escalated costs and waste—while safeguarding operational uptime. Most importantly, it eliminates the cascading effects of a single failure damaging healthy parts or causing unnecessary labor costs due to idle time.
Condition monitoring encompasses a wide range of technologies with diverse applications—from assessing human body mechanics to machine, material, and structural health. The effectiveness of any solution depends heavily on the expert deploying it, as well as the operational context, materials involved, and criticality of the function.
We hope you now see the connection between Condition Monitoring and the term Predictive Reliability, as defined and driven by iAdept.
Condition Monitoring / Predictive Reliability Technologies:
Understanding Vibrations and iAdept’s Role in Vibration Diagnostics
Vibrations are movements typically identified as oscillations or shaking around a central point—commonly observed in moving parts within machinery or systems. Manufacturers go to great lengths to eliminate vibrations, as they are generally undesirable and harmful to the health and efficiency of machines.
Vibrations not only can be measured, but also analyzed to understand their causes and consequences. They are commonly found in engines, motors, pumps, turbines, and similar equipment—often resulting in noise, reduced efficiency, and potential damage to components.
iAdept has been a pioneer in the field of Vibration Analysis and Diagnostics for over a decade and a half. From the outset, we established a dedicated division focused on vibration technologies and were the first to develop a fully functional, globally competent diagnostic software—VibAnalyst™.
At iAdept, we understand that even minor imbalances in rotating machinery can lead to major issues like excessive vibration, noise, bearing wear, and premature failure. Our expert balancing services ensure that all rotating components—such as fans, pumps, blowers, motors, and turbines—operate within acceptable vibration limits.
We offer both static and dynamic balancing, using advanced tools and techniques to correct imbalance on-site or at our facility. By identifying the exact weight and location of imbalance, we apply precise corrections that restore equipment stability and performance. This not only extends the life of your machinery but also improves safety, reduces energy consumption, and lowers operating costs.
Balancing plays a crucial role in preventive maintenance and asset reliability. With iAdept’s balancing expertise, you can achieve smooth, uninterrupted operations, minimize unplanned downtime, and protect your investments in critical equipment.
Proper alignment is essential for the efficient and reliable operation of rotating machinery. At iAdept, we offer precision laser alignment services to ensure that coupled machines—such as motors and pumps or generators and gearboxes—are perfectly aligned. Misalignment can cause serious damage over time, including excessive vibration, bearing failure, shaft damage, and energy loss.
Our trained engineers use high-accuracy laser alignment tools to detect angular and offset misalignment in both horizontal and vertical planes. By correcting these issues, we help our clients achieve smoother operation, lower maintenance costs, and increased machine uptime.
iAdept’s alignment solutions are critical during equipment installation, post-maintenance checks, and troubleshooting. Whether you’re commissioning new systems or optimizing existing ones, our alignment services help you reduce wear, improve energy efficiency, and extend the lifespan of critical components. Trust iAdept to bring precision, reliability, and longevity to your rotating machinery.
Vibration monitoring is at the core of predictive maintenance—and iAdept excels in providing comprehensive solutions to detect and diagnose machine health issues early. Our services cover both periodic monitoring and continuous real-time monitoring using high-quality vibration sensors, portable analyzers, and integrated software platforms.
We track parameters like overall vibration, velocity, acceleration, and displacement to identify faults such as imbalance, misalignment, looseness, bearing wear, and gear mesh problems. Our team of vibration analysts interprets the data to provide actionable insights, trend reports, and recommendations that prevent equipment failure and unplanned downtime.
Whether you’re monitoring a single asset or implementing a plant-wide vibration strategy, iAdept provides tailored solutions that fit your needs. By integrating vibration monitoring into your maintenance program, you enhance reliability, improve safety, and increase operational efficiency. With iAdept, you’re not just monitoring machines—you’re protecting your productivity and maximizing asset performance.
Acoustic emissions are elastic waves generated due to physical changes within a material’s internal structure. These changes can result from factors such as aging, temperature fluctuations, or mechanical forces like applied load. While acoustic emissions can occur within a frequency range of up to 100 MHz, most of the energy is typically concentrated between 1 kHz and 1 MHz.
Acoustic emission technology helps in locating the source of a problem, assessing the health and efficiency of machines or materials, and mitigating safety risks. It is particularly valuable in monitoring load- or pressure-bearing structures such as bridges, buildings, pipelines, and more.
iAdept has been at the forefront of utilizing and offering advanced Acoustic Analyzers. With ultrasonic capabilities, these analyzers play a critical role in fault detection, leak detection, and structural health monitoring across various industry verticals.
Pressure Signal Analysis enables the detection of incipient faults in internal combustion engines with minimal sensor requirements. By analyzing pressure in relation to Top Dead Center (TDC) and crank angle, it becomes possible to assess key engine parameters such as cylinder pressure, air intake, and exhaust release.
TDC plays a critical role—an error of just 1 degree in TDC measurement can result in a 10% error in IMEP (Indicated Mean Effective Pressure) and a 25% error in the calculation of heat release during combustion.
As a concept, Pressure Signal Analysis has revolutionized condition monitoring and testing—especially in marine engines and DG (Diesel Generator) sets.
iAdept introduced a revolutionary solution that eliminates the need for iterative diagnostic methodologies. This innovative product leverages an indicator-cork-based Pressure Signal Analysis setup, making it highly effective for both large propelling DG sets and stationary backup generators.
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is a key technique within the field of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). It uses extremely short ultrasonic pulse waves, typically ranging from 0.1 MHz to 15 MHz, to evaluate material properties and detect anomalies. UT is used to identify material thickness, leaks, pores, laminations, cracks, bonding faults, wear, stress, and other structural flaws.
Most defects are detected by analyzing how high-frequency waves propagate through the material, while inclusions and inhomogeneities within metals can be identified through partial reflections or scattered ultrasonic waves.
Common applications of Ultrasonic Testing include flaw detection, quality control, material evaluation, structural inspection, railroad and fabrication assessments—making it a valuable tool across various manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.
iAdept first demonstrated its ultrasonic solution capabilities in 2011. While it was not part of the company’s initial offerings, a custom solution developed for a major client showcased iAdept’s ability to step beyond its core portfolio and embrace new and emerging technologies with confidence and expertise.
Infrared Thermography is one of the most popular and widely used techniques in condition monitoring. It involves detecting infrared or thermal heat signatures emitted by objects—since everything above absolute zero emits some level of infrared radiation, it is possible to “see” the environment even without visible light.
Temperature is a key diagnostic parameter in machinery, as well as in human and animal health. Infrared thermography helps identify issues such as friction, tension, electrical resistance, and reduced cooling efficiency by providing a thermal map of the equipment. In the medical field, specialized thermography equipment is also used to detect disease symptoms based on thermal anomalies.
In practice, thermography works best in collaboration with other diagnostic technologies such as vibration analysis, ultrasonics, or motor current analysis. While thermography helps isolate the affected area, these complementary techniques assist in accurately pinpointing the root cause of the issue.
iAdept offers a range of thermographic products suited for both mechanical and structural testing as well as medical applications. Typical examples of past deployments include inspections of electrical systems, mechanical equipment, fluid leaks, and building structures.
Lubricant analysis is typically conducted as an offline process in specialized laboratories. It involves assessing lubricant properties, detecting suspended contaminants, and identifying wear debris. As a part of Industrial Tribology, this analysis is performed through continuous sampling and trend monitoring over the lifespan of a machine—helping to evaluate equipment health and performance over time.
All that’s required is a capable, accredited lab and a well-structured analysis plan to accurately identify trends and make informed maintenance decisions.
While iAdept does not actively promote lubricant analysis as a primary offering, it is available as a value-added service for existing customers who prefer the convenience of working with a single partner. iAdept collaborates with leading industry experts as outsourced partners to deliver reliable lubricant analysis services.
Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA)
Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) traces its origins back to the 1970s, when it was first proposed for monitoring motors in nuclear power plants—especially those located in inaccessible or hazardous zones. One of the key advantages of MCSA is that it can be performed under normal operating and load conditions, without requiring system shutdowns or operational interruptions.
MCSA is a specialized technique within the broader field of Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA). While primarily applied to electric induction motors, ESA techniques, including MCSA, are also applicable to generators, power transformers, and other electrical equipment.
MCSA is capable of detecting the following faults:
Stator faults (e.g., opening or shorting of stator winding coils) and abnormal winding behavior
Bent shaft, which may lead to critical friction between rotor and stator
Bearing and gearbox faults
Broken or cracked rotor bars or end rings
Air gap irregularities, both static and dynamic
iAdept offers advanced solutions for Motor Current Signal Analysis, understanding the importance of continuous signal monitoring for early fault detection. We also advocate for integrating MCSA with Vibration Analysis and Infrared Thermography to create a more comprehensive and effective predictive maintenance strategy.
Model-Based Voltage and Current Systems (MBVI) utilize data from all three-phase current and voltage signals simultaneously. Unlike Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA), which monitors a single-phase stator current and uses the motor’s stator windings as transducers, MBVI analyzes all three phases and establishes a mathematical relationship between voltage and current.
By applying a model based on the measured voltage, a theoretical (or modeled) current is generated and then compared to the actual current. Deviations between the two reveal abnormalities or imperfections in the motor or connected equipment. These imperfections are further analyzed using advanced techniques such as Park’s Vector, Fourier Analysis, and algorithmic assessment of the resultant spectrum.
MBVI offers permanent, continuous monitoring solutions, making it far more robust and long-term than traditional diagnostic approaches.
At iAdept, we focus on delivering comprehensive solutions—and MBVI systems are an integral part of our offerings. They are designed to help diagnose and resolve critical issues in motors and electrical equipment with precision and reliability.
Model-Based Voltage and Current Systems (MBVI) leverage real-time data from all three-phase voltage and current signals simultaneously. Unlike Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA), which typically monitors a single stator current and uses the motor’s own windings as transducers, MBVI takes a more comprehensive approach by evaluating all three phases and establishing a dynamic mathematical relationship between voltage and current.
A modeled (theoretical) current is derived using the measured voltage data. This modeled current is then compared against the actual measured current. Any deviations between the two highlight abnormalities or imperfections in the motor or associated electrical equipment. These are further investigated using advanced analytical tools such as Park’s Vector, Fourier Analysis, and algorithmic spectrum assessment.
MBVI provides permanent, real-time monitoring, offering a more robust and sustainable solution compared to traditional diagnostic methods. It not only detects faults but also supports early prediction and preventive maintenance strategies.
At iAdept, we are committed to delivering intelligent, data-driven solutions. Our MBVI systems are a key part of our condition monitoring portfolio—empowering industries to identify, analyze, and resolve critical motor and equipment issues with precision and confidence.