No risks in the control cabinet: the IM18-CCM control cabinet monitor from Turck

Unplanned machine and system downtimes are a costly irritation for producers in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The cause can often be found in the control cabinet, which although robustly built, can suffer defects over time. The new IM18-CCM control cabinet monitor from Turck sends its condition monitoring readings directly to the company’s IT system.

High-quality housings and control cabinets protect often sensitive electronics from moisture, dust and dirt. But even the sturdiest control cabinet is not immune to physical damage if the doors are not closed properly or the seals are worn. Defects like this are often only discovered when the devices installed in the cabinet fail and the system comes to a standstill. In food and pharmaceutical production, control cabinet doors that are not properly sealed also pose a risk of contamination that can have a dire impact on productivity.

Bridging the gap between OT and IT

Monitoring environmental data in the control cabinet is therefore rightly a high priority. Field instruments already transmit much more information than just the measured values of physical variables via IO-Link or HART communication, which reduces the risk of failure. However, shutdowns are often caused by errors in the connection between the sensor/actuator level and the control level. This is where the IM18-CCM (Cabinet Condition Monitoring) from Bachofen’s technology partner Turck comes into play. It monitors beyond the control cabinet boundaries and connects to the IT system via an Ethernet interface.

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All good Turck control cabinet monitors come in threes

The IM12-CCM and IMX12-CCM from Turck’s control cabinet monitor series register temperature, humidity, door opening and light intensity. Now they have been joined by the IM18-CCM, which can do even more: For example, additional devices such as vibration sensors can be connected to motors or sensors for detecting corrosive gases via the additional Modbus RTU and CAN interfaces. In addition, switch-on and switch-off operations are registered and counted. Thanks to the open Linux platform, the collected data can already be preprocessed and evaluated in the IM18-CCM using tailor-made apps.

Data transfer as an important extension of functionality

The IM18-CCM transfers the collected data directly to a higher-level system or even to a cloud. The data exchange takes place separately from system control. This has the advantage, especially in retrofit projects, that the monitor can operate independently of the system controller. Gradual changes or systematic problems can be identified by long-term evaluations so that measures can be taken in good time to prevent unplanned downtimes.

Bachofen advises mechanical and system engineers on choosing the control cabinet monitor that best meets the requirements of the specific application: attentive to your needs with extensive sensor expertise that also includes data management.

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Areas of application

  • Universal control cabinet monitoring: from indoor I&C cabinets to processing plant cabinets in the field.

  • Food and pharmaceutical production

  • Process industry

Switched on

  • Three sensors on board: temperature, humidity and door gap

  • Standard Ethernet interface

  • Linux-based, programmable platform

  • Connection of external devices via Modbus RTU and CAN

  • Narrow housing (18 mm) for space-saving installation

Other focus topics in the area of food, pharmaceutical