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What Is a Condition Monitoring System?

A condition monitoring system tracks the health of machines, devices, or entire plants by measuring specific variables—like temperature, vibration, or pressure. This data helps assess the condition of equipment to ensure it’s safe and running smoothly. The goal is to catch problems early, reduce unexpected downtime, and prevent costly production stops.

Some advanced systems even work in real time and can trigger emergency shutdowns when needed, while also helping diagnose the root cause of issues using the data they’ve collected.

What Is the Basic Principle of Condition Monitoring?

The core idea behind condition monitoring is to use sensors and data analysis to keep an eye on how machines are performing. By tracking things like temperature, vibration, or pressure, the system can spot any unusual changes early—before they turn into bigger problems. This helps prevent breakdowns and keeps equipment running smoothly.

What Are the Five Elements of Condition Monitoring?

The five main elements of condition monitoring are:

  1. Data Collection – Gathering information from sensors and monitoring devices on things like temperature, vibration, or pressure.

  2. Data Analysis – Interpreting the collected data to spot any signs of abnormal behavior.

  3. Alert Generation – Sending out warnings when something isn’t working as it should.

  4. Maintenance Planning – Using the insights to schedule maintenance before a problem causes downtime.

  5. Continuous Improvement – Learning from past data to keep improving processes and reduce future risks.

Together, these steps help keep machines running efficiently and prevent unexpected failures.

You can find further explanations of the terms in our glossary.