Enhanced condition monitoring

The SKF TKTI 21 and TKTI 31 thermal cameras can be used in multiple applications to spot the unusual heat patterns that indicate machine problems, enabling prompt preventative maintenance to reduce production losses due to unplanned downtime. SKF says that by helping to increase plant availability and reliability the thermal cameras will realise a high return on investment when used as a part of a proactive maintenance programme.

The TKTI 31, which replaces the TKTI 30, has been upgraded with a thermal detector that has 40% more pixels. With a 380x280 pixel detector, the TKTI 31 has a lower cost than most other brands that offer a standard 320x240 detector. Meanwhile, the new TK21 is 40% cheaper than its predecessor, the TKTI 20, and is said to be one of the best priced thermal cameras with 160x120 resolution on the market.

SKF thermal cameras meet the needs of condition monitoring engineers by offering a convenient means of inspecting running equipment under full load, thus minimising production interference. The cameras also help engineers to avoid the safety issues of inspecting hard-to-access live equipment, making them suitable for live electrical applications where potential hot spots often cannot be approached due to danger of electrocution. With SKF thermal cameras, engineers can inspect plant under varying running conditions to determine the potential causes of intermittent faults, reduce the time necessary for planned shutdowns, minimise maintenance and repair costs and increase equipment lifespan and mean time between failures (MTBF).