Condition-Based Maintenance With the iba System

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) offers a web-based configuration and analysis environment that allows users to access, configure, and analyze their mechanical assets from virtually anywhere. Built as a modern desktop-style web application, it combines centralized configuration with powerful analysis tools in a single, user-friendly interface.

With this approach, vibration analysts, maintenance engineers, and plant managers can efficiently configure monitoring devices, review trends, and perform deep signal analysis without requiring local installation on client PCs.

Key capabilities

• Browser-based access for configuration and analysis without client software installation.
• SQL Database-Driven backend for storing configuration and trend data. Measurement files in the iba DAT file format are stored on a file archive which can be configured per plant individually.
• Discover the correlations between your various datatrends by using interactive trend analysis in normalised format or with multiple Y-axes over short or long periods.
• User and group management with plant-based access control and user right management.

This centralized, web-based setup not only simplifies daily work but also makes the system scalable for large plants and distributed teams.

Typical use cases

• Configuring and commissioning new monitoring devices directly from a central application.
• Accessing long-term vibration trends remotely to evaluate wear progression.
• Performing FFT and envelope analysis in a browser.
• Managing user rights and plant-specific access for different roles in maintenance.

The web-based design of ibaCMC enables efficient configuration and powerful analysis anytime, anywhere, reducing IT overhead and empowering predictive maintenance strategies.

The ibaCondition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) provides a hierarchical plant configuration that reflects the real structure of plants, aggregate groups, aggregates, sensors and components. This structured setup ensures a transparent overview of the entire plant and allows condition data to be organized logically for faster navigation and analysis.

By mapping machines into an asset tree, users can immediately locate critical components, review their status, and drill-down from system level to individual bearings or sensors.

Key capabilities

• Asset-based hierarchy from plant → aggregate group → aggregate → component group → component.
• Integrated component library with Drag & Drop for quick and intuitive setup.
• Bearing library with a high number of predefined bearings from well-known manufacturers like FAG, SKF, Timken and so on. Custom Bearings can also be added if needed.
• Status visualization at every hierarchy level, highlighting warnings, alarms or acute alarms.
• Centralized configuration that can be deployed directly to monitoring devices.
• Scalable structure suitable for small machines up to entire production facilities.

This hierarchical approach simplifies system configuration, accelerates fault localization, and ensures consistency between mechanical assets and monitoring data.

Typical use cases

• Structuring large plants into clearly separated units for easier monitoring.
• Mapping critical components like bearings and gearboxes within their parent machines.
• Assigning user access to specific plants which can be defined in the user group.

The hierarchical machine setup in ibaCMC transforms condition monitoring into a clear, navigable model of the plant, making it easy to connect data with the physical assets it represents.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) acts as the central platform for managing all connected condition monitoring devices across the plant. From a single interface, users can configure devices, monitor their status, and ensure consistent data acquisition without the need for local adjustments at each machine.

By consolidating device management in one place, ibaCMC reduces engineering effort and provides a clear overview of the operational state of all monitoring hardware.

Key capabilities

• Centralized configuration and status monitoring of distributed ibaM-DAQ, ibaDAQ and legacy ibaCMU-S devices.
• Automatic deployment of configurations directly from the web interface to devices in the field.
• Device diagnostics of device health, sensor errors, and system status back into ibaCMC.
• Flexible integration of process signals via ibaPDA interfaces in addition to vibration channels.
• Scalable device network covering anything from a single machine to an entire plant.

This central control enables uniform setups, simplifies troubleshooting, and makes configuration updates significantly faster. Software or license updates of ibaPDA based devices are not supported by ibaCMC. For this task ibaManagementStudio can be used.

Typical use cases

• Commissioning new monitoring devices directly from ibaCMC with minimal local setup.
• Tracking device status to quickly detect sensor failures or connectivity issues.
• Rolling out configuration updates across multiple devices in parallel.
• Supervising decentralized data acquisition while keeping control in one central system.

With ibaCMC as the single point of control, operators gain full visibility and management of all monitoring devices across the entire plant.

To obtain comparable measurements and KPIs, it is essential to measure under similar process conditions. The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) enables you to evaluate machine and vibration data only when user-defined conditions are met, ensuring consistency between measurements.

If trends still show significant process-related variation, trend filters can be applied to divide the data into different ranges. This allows you to analyze and monitor trends under specific process conditions without significantly reducing the overall measurement rate.

If aggregates change speed during measurement, order resampling can help produce sharp spectra even when the speed is not constant.

Key capabilities

• Trigger snapshots under comparable conditions to ensure data consistency.
• Enable Order resampling to get better results for the spectrum if the speed is changing over time during measurement
• Apply trend filters to separate data into different ranges using filter signals. This allows you to analyze and monitor trends for specific operating modes (e.g., rolling operation vs. calibration operation) or for different materials.

This functionality ensures that monitoring results remain meaningful even when machines operate under changing load, speed, or material conditions.

Typical use cases

• Monitoring rotating equipment at different speeds without losing comparability.
• Decrease process influences (e.g., used material, operation mode [Rolling/Calibration]) by applying trend filters.

By intelligently handling both comparable and varying operating conditions, ibaCMC delivers accurate condition monitoring that reduces downtime and increases plant availability.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) provides powerful tools to analyze vibration and process indicators over time. Calculated damage indicators and process signals are displayed as long-term trends, making it possible to detect gradual wear, process-related influences, and abnormal developments at an early stage.

By combining mechanical and process data in a single view, ibaCMC helps users distinguish between normal operational variations and actual wear-induced changes.

Key capabilities

• Display long-term trends of vibration-based indicators and process values.
• Zoom, overlay, and multi-axis views for detailed inspection of multiple signals.
• Drill-down from indicators to raw data such as time signals, FFT, or envelope analysis.
• Correlation with process parameters like load, speed, or temperature for deeper insights.
• Trend filters to separate wear-related changes from process-related fluctuations.

This makes historical data analysis intuitive and effective, ensuring that condition monitoring is both reliable and context sensitive.

Typical use cases

• Identifying slow-developing bearing wear by analyzing vibration trends.
• Correlating process conditions (e.g., load or material type) with vibration indicators.
• Comparing operating states across different shifts or production runs.
• Validating maintenance measures by comparing pre- and post-repair trend data.

With its trend analysis functions, ibaCMC transforms raw sensor readings into clear historical insights, supporting predictive maintenance and informed decision-making.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) allows users to go beyond calculated indicators by drilling-down directly into the raw vibration data. This makes it possible to examine time signals, spectra, and envelope analyses whenever trends or alarms suggest irregularities. Engineers gain a complete view of machine behavior—from high-level condition indicators down to detailed waveform analysis.

Key capabilities

• Navigate from long-term trends directly to underlying raw data with a single click.
• Analyze time signals, FFT, and envelope spectra to reveal damage patterns.
• Use kinematics tables to link frequency components with specific machine parts.
• Compare raw data snapshots across different time periods for progression tracking.
• Save and share analysis layouts or logbook entries for documentation and teamwork.

This drill-down capability ensures that no detail is hidden, enabling precise diagnostics and root cause analysis.

Typical use cases

• Investigating alarm conditions by reviewing the original vibration signals.
• Identifying bearing or gear damage using frequency spectrum analysis.
• Comparing operating states (e.g., before and after maintenance).
• Documenting findings by linking raw data insights directly to the system logbook.

By connecting trend indicators with detailed raw data, ibaCMC combines early detection with deep diagnostic insight, empowering engineers to make confident maintenance decisions.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) lets teams build reusable, browser-based dashboards that bring together system status and trend analysis in one place. User created dashboards can be linked to the plant tree to get globally accessible analysis dashboards which can be used by the whole team.

Key capabilities

• Create and reuse analysis dashboards (trend compositions and analysis windows) to standardize how assets are monitored.
• Navigate from Dashboard directly to the trend analysis tool for further analysis and drill-down options.

Typical use cases

• Standard trend analysis dashboards for a faster overview of trend change.
• Share dashboards with our team by linking it with the plant tree elements.

Dashboards help users reduce the analysis time by looking at preconfigured dashboards instead of clicking the trends together on their own each time.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) can trigger standardized asset reports generation and send them per mail to the subscribed users per mail. These reports consolidate key condition data such as alarm states, sensor faults, device status, and snapshot statistics, and can be distributed at configurable intervals without manual effort.

To use the reporting functionality an additional reporting service must be installed which have access to the SQL database and the ibaCMC service.

It is also possible to configure alarm notifications which are sent to the user per mail if a status of a trend changes. The alarm notification can be configured on asset aggregation level or custom defined. 

Key capabilities

• Automatic report generation per plant
• Customizable intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
• Consolidated condition overview including Alarm summary, Alarm list, sensor issue list, device status and measurement statistics.
• Direct email distribution of reports to selected users
• Archiving of reports for traceability and documentation within the ibaCMC system.
• Send Alarm Mails if status of a trend changes.

This automation ensures consistency in reporting, reduces manual workload, and keeps all stakeholders informed with the same reliable data.

Typical use cases

• Daily plant status updates automatically sent to maintenance teams.
• Weekly vibration and trend summaries delivered to asset managers.
• Centralized report archiving to support audits and long-term analysis.
• Instant notification on status change

Automated reporting with ibaCMC provides a transparent and continuous view of asset health, helping organizations to anticipate failures and optimize maintenance actions.

The iba Condition Monitoring Center (ibaCMC) not only provides powerful tools for analysis but also offers integrated functions to document findings and maintenance measures. Engineers can save analysis results, create logbook entries, and link them directly to machines or components—building a transparent history of both technical condition and corrective actions.

This ensures that every alarm investigation or maintenance step is captured in context, improving traceability and collaboration across teams.

Key capabilities

• Create logbook entries directly from analysis views, linking findings with specific assets.
• Attach comments or screenshots to document diagnostic results.
• Track maintenance actions in relation to alarms, snapshots, or vibration trends.
• Maintain a digital history of condition development and interventions over time.

With these capabilities, ibaCMC becomes not only a monitoring tool, but also a structured knowledge base for machine health.

Typical use cases

• Recording the root cause of an alarm after drill-down to raw vibration data.
• Documenting bearing replacement and linking it to historical vibration trends.
• Sharing diagnostic findings with remote experts for joint evaluation.
• Building a long-term maintenance log that combines data-driven insights with real interventions.

By documenting both analysis and corrective actions, ibaCMC enhances knowledge retention, accountability, and predictive maintenance strategies.