Smart Devices in Production System Maintenance

Smart devices depict a simple and economically efficient way to enhance existing, matured production systems towards a higher degree of digitalization and information exchange. Thus, current studies expect that the market for such devices will undergo a complete change: While today private users purchase most tablets and smartphones, approximately 75% of all mobile devices will be used in the area of industrial automation by 2025. In addition to ramp-up and planning, maintenance of production machines is one of the most promising application areas for smart devices: Lots of information need to be collected, aggregated, and communicated to enable better decisions and more efficient maintenance processes. As more and more sensors and control data become available in networks and clouds, these need to be processed and used. Together with a rising capacity in the area of data analytics, smart devices will thus be a powerful tool for smarter and more competitive maintenance. On the other hand, several obstacles, e.g., regarding system reliability, communication strategy, or ergonomics still have to be overcome to enable a wider application. This chapter therefore introduces the use of smart devices in the area of production systems maintenance.