For Immediate Release:

Knoxville, TN – October 8, 2019

RDI Technologies, Inc., a company that specializes in innovating the industrial market with machine vision products, announced today that it is releasing a new product, Iris CM.  The Iris CM will expand the use of their revolutionary IRIS platform technology powered by Motion Amplification™ to new applications focused on solving the industries toughest problems, diagnosing and fixing the things that go bump in the night.

“We see this as the next step in revolutionizing the way we monitor equipment and machinery.  We started by solving the plants’ chronic problems with the Iris M™, expanded to high-speed applications with the Iris MX™, and the next step was naturally to move into the continuous monitoring space to assess and solve the problems that can’t be predicted.” – Jeff Hay, CEO

The Iris CM is a continuous monitoring camera solution that allows users to monitor an asset with three different cameras over an extended period of time. In Machine Condition Monitoring, solving the root cause is critical to avoid downtime and expensive repairs.  The Iris CM enables users to visualize what is happening with their equipment live, set triggers to record events that happen when they aren’t around, extract data in the past from the continuous recording loop, and analyze the data to solve the root cause for both acute and chronic problems. Events such as startups and shutdowns can be captured without having to be at the machine or coordinate with operations. And when it does go bump in the night, setting off an alarm, there will be no need to go to the asset to see what happened. The Iris CM can also be moved from one asset to another, making it a critical and cost-effective tool.

“Iris CM was designed as a crash cart system. When you go to the hospital for a chronic or acute symptom, they run a series of tests to determine what is wrong.  The same thing happens for industrial machinery.  The Iris CM is the tool to quickly and easily give you insight into the machine when you don’t know when or where to start.” – Bob Wilson, President

Cameras are the sensor of the future, and RDI Technologies is paving the way in the Industrial Market with innovative solutions that make Predictive Maintenance more accessible, easier to understand, and quicker. With over 400 unique customers from industries like Oil and Gas, Energy, Automotive, Pulp and Paper, Power, and Chemicals, RDI has seen rapid growth over the last 3 years and was named #33 on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing companies list in 2019. The Iris CM is the 3^rd product by RDI Technologies and is expected to contribute a significant amount to the continued growth of RDI, and the use of cameras as the industrial sensor of the future.

For information about RDI Technologies, Motion Amplification™ or the Iris M visit the RDI Technologies website at: https://www.RDITechnologies.com

For Media Inquiries Contact:
Andrew Dougherty
andrew.dougherty@rditechnologies.com
865-599-4409

Iris CM™, because your machines shouldn’t keep you up at night. Coming soon: the Iris CM!

As a follow up to the video on packing your accessory kit the media team has created an animated gif to show you how to pack you the light kit.

We have had several people ask if there is a trick to packing your Iris M system and the accessory kit, so our media team put together a tutorial GIF.  Click here to view the tutorial on packing the light kit.

We all have a set of tools to use in different instances, but sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start. One of our goals at RDI is to continue to develop features that broaden our users’ ability to diagnose root cause issues. Shaft Inspection is a new tool to help our users to find those root causes, and it has been of our most requested features. It was recently released in Version 2.5 of the Iris M software. Our Partner, Reliability Maintenance Solutions located in the United Kingdom, recently used this new feature to troubleshoot a belt issue on a cooler fan that was critical to their customers’ process.

Noise from the belts on the cooler alerted technicians in the facility that there was an issue with the machine. Their first step was to analyze the machine with Vibration Analysis. There was nothing noteworthy in the Vibration Spectrum or Waveform to help them to pinpoint the issues from the machine. The next step was to employ the Iris M and the new shaft inspection feature. A quick check of the video revealed a few things. First, there was obviously a problem with the middle belt. The first video angle shows the middle belt is resonant (belt bouncing up and down). Typically, this can be fixed by altering the tension on the belt to prevent it from resonating. In a 3-belt design such as this, it usually requires changing all 3 belts.

The second video angle shows you a close up of the driven sheave. The shaft inspection feature allows you to quickly record a video that makes sheave and belt inspection very easy. If you look closely the part numbers on the sheave can even be read without shutting the machine down! The 3rd camera angle shows a close up of the same sheave, but it is focused on the grooves. This zoomed-in video allows inspection of the grooves of the sheave to inspect for cracks or missing pieces of the sheave.
The remaining camera angles clearly show the belts and the other sheave. In the fifth camera angle, you can clearly see the middle belt is slipping. This is the source of the noise and the cause of the belt resonance. In order to rectify this, all 3 belts should be changed, and the sheaves measured for excessive wear.

This great series of video shot by RMS is a wonderful example of the power of the Shaft Inspection feature. The ability to shoot a video and thoroughly inspect individual rotating components without shutting the machine down is a huge time and cost savings. You can use a zoomed-in camera view to read part numbers on rotating components or belts to make sure you have the required repair parts on hand before shutting the machine down for repair. In addition, it can be done in bright sunlight where stroboscopes struggle. Shaft Inspection and other customer requested features added to the Iris M platform make it the perfect compliment to your Reliability Program.

We would like you to get to know some of our key members in the company.  Today we would like you to get to know Mike Lucas. Chances are if you called for a support issue you have spoken to Mike. If you haven’t worked with Mike yet, he is the Director, Customer Service & Support. Mike’s job here is to support our customers and does a great job. 

Before working at RDI Technologies, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

Before working at RDI, I was working for Technology for Energy doing customer service. It was a fun job because it had many facets. I was able to get in on new product development, customer/product support, and training. I was able to work with many different aviation OEMs and see many new aircraft designs. Every day was a little different and the pace was always fast. Since an early age, I’ve had a fascination with aviation, and this allowed me to indulge that fascination.

What do you like most about RDI Technologies?

My favorite part of working at RDI is the people. I get to work with the best in the industry both inside and out. The lessons never end, and it never ceases to amaze me that an entire industry gets excited about things shaking! I have so much fun, it’s hard to remember that this actually works.

Are you messy or organized?

I’m messy in an organized fashion. I always wish I could be more organized and that things would magically just fall into place! Most people think it is because I want to be in control, but really, it’s because I feel unorganized and don’t like to spend a lot of time looking for something or trying to do something over and over.

If you could be anyone from any time period, who would it be and why?

I’ve always felt that I was born a couple of generations too late. I think it would have been extremely challenging to have been a part of “The Greatest Generation.” It probably wasn’t a whole lot of fun, but they set the foundation for so much of what we have today and what I think America stands for. I’m not sure what came first, my fascination in aviation or my interest in World War II. Wherever they overlap, I always dreamt of being a pilot in World War II.

Motto or personal mantra?

Do it today because tomorrow it may be illegal.

What places have you lived in?

Born in Macomb, IL. Moved to Tulsa, OK so my dad could take flying lessons. Moved to Champaign, IL so he could teach flying at the University of Illinois. Moved to the suburbs of Chicago. Moved to Atlanta, GA in search of my first aviation job. Moved to Lafayette, LA because I found my first aviation job! Moved to the suburbs of Houston, TX. Moved to Knoxville, TN so I could meet my future wife.

Commissioning a new piece of equipment is a stressful and exciting time for all parties involved. You have spent a lot of time on this process. You have worked hard on planning, money and time have been spent on construction, and of course the hard work and effort to put in the new equipment. The goal is to get the piece of equipment into production as quickly as possible. The challenge in commissioning is having the confidence that the new and unfamiliar piece of equipment is operating the way it’s designed. 

When commissioning new equipment, there are a couple of items you want to determine. The first is what the new piece of equipment should be doing, building a baseline for future reference. ​The other is looking for defects or deficiencies that are the result of the manufacturing, engineering, or installation ​process ​of the equipment itself.​ These defects, deficiencies, installation, or design issues often result in excessive vibration that is most often detectable using Displacement or Velocity.  Motion Amplification™ is the ideal technology for this because Motion Amplification™ is a displacement-based measurement and shows the movement in the above-mentioned defects very well. It shows ALL the movement, piping, wiring, base, grout, concrete, etc. For example, when commissioning a pump and motor we would typically take 10 vibration measurements on the bearing housings (4 horizontal, 4 vertical, 2 axial). It is possible (I have seen it), for the discharge piping on an overhung pump to be resonant, but the pump NDE bearing vibration to be within spec. This resonant pipe could shorten bearing life, crack pipe supports, and cause much larger issues long after the equipment is commissioned. Issues like these are design or installation problems and should be handled by the installing contractor, or plant personnel before the equipment is put into service. 

Motion Amplification™ is a great tool when commissioning a new piece of equipment. The videos show how the equipment is moving. This insight helps all parties communicate effectively through the commission, and establishes a baseline of operation before the equipment is put into production.

This edition of Notes from the Field was written by Judd Jones the Northwest Regional Sales Manager.  He can be reached at judd.jones@rditechnologies.com and on LinkedIn.