Quality is, of course, always paramount when carrying out vibration measurements. Quality data forms a solid foundation and helps to ensure that buildings remain damage free and that people can work and relax without stress regarding vibrations.
But the aspect of cost is a significant factor when choosing a vibration monitoring method. It is important to a construction company or property manager that their choice of vibration measurement does not cost a fortune. You can gain a lot from a cost perspective by choosing an integrated solution for carrying out vibration measurements. What do we mean by this? And what are the substantial savings of such an integrated solution? You can read more about this topic in this blog article.
What does an integrated vibration measurement solution look like?
The hallmark of an integrated vibration monitoring solution is that the various components of the measurement system are closely connected. For example, you have a vibration meter that generates precise measurement results and is directly connected to a platform to which you can quickly upload that measurement data.
In addition, you can quickly analyze and visualize the data within the platform. Ideally, an integrated vibration measurement solution also provides useful accessories, i.e., battery, and adapter, that are valuable additions to your measurement equipment and platform.
The savings
Opting for an integrated solution not only has practical advantages; it also delivers tangible savings—time to look at how and why this is the case.
More energy efficient
Many integrated vibration measurement solutions use microelectromechanical systems (usually abbreviated to MEMS). These are small, embedded systems that constitute the technology of microscopic devices, particularly those with moving parts. These components are often tiny and can range from a micrometer to just a few millimeters. They usually consist of a central unit that processes data (an integrated circuit chip such as a microprocessor) and several components that interact with the surroundings (such as microsensors).
The functional advantage of MEMS? Devices equipped with this technology consume relatively little energy. Because miniaturization makes it possible to put many elements (think of sensors in particular in the case of a vibration meter) into a device, you not only make gains in terms of energy and cost efficiency: but a MEMS device is also more powerful and versatile.
Cost-effectiveness
An integrated vibration measurement solution also contributes to greater cost efficiency. Because all parts of the measurement system communicate smoothly with each other, are well coordinated, and are all from the same family, installing measurement equipment and configuring measurement points takes very little time. Moreover, an integrated solution like Omnidots makes adding new sensors to your measurement solution extremely simple.
This allows you to fully concentrate on performing a vibration measurement and reading and analyzing the measurement data. Moreover, you do not have to conclude contracts with a whole range of different suppliers. This clarifies the total expenditure and reduces the risk of hidden costs.
Time savings
With an integrated vibration measurement solution such as Omnidots, you also save valuable time and labor hours. Because the vibration monitor continuously transmits measurement data to the associated platform, you have "easy" data. In the case of Omnidots, for example, the Honeycomb web platform acts as the central switch room of the entire measurement solution.
The accompanying SWARM vibration monitor automatically transmits measurement data to Honeycomb. Is 4G connection or wifi unreliable and temporarily drops out? The SWARM saves all data monitored and sends that information to the web platform once there is a connection again. With the press of a button, you export your data to pdf, CSV, or Excel statements. In addition, Honeycomb sends daily or weekly reports to multiple recipients.
The benefit is obvious: you spend far less time reporting than using a composite measurement solution made up of different products from different vendors.
With an integrated vibration measurement solution, you also don't have to drive back and forth to the construction site to retrieve your data as often. In the case of Omnidots, you can quickly and easily (it can be done with just a single screw) attach the SWARM to the building you want to monitor and connect the measuring device to the power supply.
You can configure the SWARM remotely and via laptop, smartphone or tablet. Through the Honeycomb platform, you get access to all the data without having to get out of the comfort of your remote workplace. Because the SWARM has a built-in GPS sensor, you also always know exactly where your vibration meters are. This is very convenient if you are working on multiple measurement sites simultaneously.
Automatic updates
Of course, in the modern age of digital technology, it is also crucial that you are always working with the latest software. Regularly updating your equipment can be a time-consuming task. Therefore, it is often postponed, or you lose the adequate time you can spend on measuring and analyzing vibrations. Sometimes, updating also ends up as a job for the IT Department, which leaves them less time to spend on innovation and value-adding activities.
With an integrated vibration measurement solution, you bypass these complications. The vibration meter automatically downloads the latest firmware as soon as an update is available. After downloading, you can simply restart or reboot the vibration monitor, which only takes a minute or two with the SWARM. Thanks to the automatic updates, you can spend more time measuring and analyzing vibration data while your software stays up to date.
Also save money?
Exactly how much you save with an integrated vibration measurement solution depends partly on your situation. But the faster availability of data, the energy efficiency of a well-integrated system, remote availability of data, and automatic updates all add up to significant savings in cost and time that can easily add up to thousands of euros/dollars and dozens of hours.
Are you curious about the features of Omnidots' integrated vibration monitoring solution? Are you especially interested in the savings potential that this fully integrated solution provides? Then feel free to contact us and discover what Omnidots can do for you.
