Samotics FAQ overview

1. Pumps
2. Conveyors
3. Fans
4. Rolls / rollers
5. Mixers / agitators

If you have questions on if SAM4 can monitor your specific equipment, contact us here.

SAM4 needs details like power, amps, and full load speed, which are usually listed on the motor’s nameplate. Other necessary details may include gearbox ratio, belt & pulley information, bearing types, and/or pump curve details.

Yes, SAM4 needs a stable and continuous internet connection.

SAM4 can connect through 4G, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet. We can share the specifications and requirements upon request.

All insights generated by our system are available for our customers via APIs to your cloud environment. If you’d like to speak in more detail about this, please reach out here.

Samotics provides several resources to help support a smooth installation. This includes:

• Installation manual
• Online installation guide
• Installation Video
• SAM4 Setup Tool

The motor needs a minimum rotational speed of 450 RPM at 50 Hz.

Yes, SAM4 works well in tough conditions or inaccessible environments because its sensors are inside the motor control cabinet.

No, once installed, SAM4 monitors continuously without the need for maintenance. Samotics remotely monitors the status of the SAM4 hardware and will inform you if any action is needed.

• Connectivity kit: power supply, gateway, switch.
• Motor kit: data acquisition device, current and voltage sensors.

SAM4’s hardware (including the sensors) is installed inside the motor control cabinet powering an asset. No sensors are required on or near the asset in the field.

Electrical signature analysis (ESA) is a technique that analyzes current and voltage sine waves to provide insights into the condition, performance, and energy consumption of electric motors and rotating equipment. Read our detailed article about electrical signature analysis here to learn more.

ESA delivers key benefits over other condition monitoring technologies such as:

• Monitoring assets in inaccessible or difficult-to-access environments
• Detecting both electrical and mechanical failures
• Utilizing trend-based parameters to spot developing failures based on an asset’s specific operating behavior
• Providing alerts on specific deteriorating components before they reach critical severity Delivering energy/performance optimization insights

1. For mechanical failures or asset-specific failure modes (e.g., cavitation in a pump) unique vibrations are generated that travel throughout the drivetrain and reach the motor where they affect the air gap between the rotor and the stator. These vibrations cause variations in the motor’s magnetic field that are visible in current and voltage signals. Then, by translating these measurements into a frequency spectrum, we can compare real-time data to a baseline and identify deviations corresponding to specific failure modes.
2. For electrical failures, SAM4 captures the relevant variations in the current and voltage data and can identify electrical unbalances, harmonic distortion, and more.

SAM4 utilizes current clamps and voltage branches to feed into the data acquisition device (DAQ) for initial processing. It shares this data with our connectivity kit so it can be fully analyzed and processed in Samotics’ cloud. By installing sensors inside the MCC, we are monitoring assets remotely.

SAM4 samples at 20 kHz (20,000 hertz / second). Typically sampling rates for other condition monitoring technologies range from 6 kHz to 10 kHz. Sampling at 20+ kHz brings a higher granularity to the underlying data which creates the capability of identifying a broader spectrum of failure modes.

Samotics is ISO27001 and ISO 9001 certified demonstrating our adherence to the highest industry standards regarding data security and quality management. We additionally perform annual penetration tests to ensure that your data is protected.

This is communicated via our dashboard, automated email alerts, and if we are integrated into existing systems – via an API connection. By using ESA, we can correspond to specific failure modes and their progression in severity, and our team of asset reliability specialists can identify and prescribe the needed maintenance to address the developing failures.

By using the current and voltage data, SAM4 can pinpoint which specific assets consume the most energy, and by understanding their associated performance (e.g., pump efficiency in relation to best efficiency point (BEP)) and process-related information we can identify opportunities for energy savings. A great example of this is our Vitens case study.

We use affinity laws, load, and speed data, and the pump’s performance curve to determine real-time efficiency. You can read about this in more detail here.

• SAM4 is designed with data security in mind, adhering to ISO27001 standards.
• Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. All data we send is encrypted with TLS 1.2. Communication between the SAM4 gateways and the cloud environment uses HTTPS or MQTT. All communication between the devices (installed hardware) is wired.

It depends on your situation. SAM4’s reliability and accuracy are industry-leading for applications where SAM4 is a strong technical fit (e.g., centrifugal pumps); however, in terms of cost-effectiveness this depends on many factors, including:

• How critical is the equipment to the process?
• What other technologies do you use to monitor your assets?
• What is the cost of downtime when these assets unexpectedly fail?

Fortunately, SAM4’s hardware is installed inside the MCC which protects it from otherwise potentially harsh environmental conditions. SAM4’s software is updated regularly, and lastly, we have dedicated product development teams to ensure that we continuously support our clients’ evolving needs.

We perform a Post Installation Health Check (PIHC) to check if the asset is performing as expected by comparing its baseline with industry standards. In SAM4’s readings, we will see increasing energy levels across the various rotational and supply frequencies associated with the monitored asset even within the learning period.

SAM4 detects vibrations by measuring electrical signals at specific frequencies linked to drivetrain components. By analyzing these frequencies and the drivetrain setup, we can pinpoint which components are failing. For example, unusual activity at belt frequencies indicates a belt issue. SAM4 can also identify faults in direct coupling systems and pinpoint anomalies even with multiple frequencies, helping locate the exact source of the problem.

ESA cannot detect:

• Temperature changes
• Moisture and other forms of contamination
• Lubrication conditions
• The condition of the insulation

Complex assets (grinders, crushers, assets with many rotational components), assets with high load variations, and/or assets with very low supply frequencies (e.g., <10 hz) require a more detailed discussion to understand if these pose limitations for ESA. If you have specific questions regarding ESA’s limitations, please feel free to contact us here.

Not yet, but we are working on it.

Customers typically have SAM4 installed by an in-house electrical engineer. Our team supports customers throughout the installation process.

Installation varies depending on each client’s situation. Typically installation takes 30-90 minutes per asset. We continuously support our clients throughout the installation process to ensure a smooth installation and provide guidance in case any challenges are encountered.

The power needs to be switched off for SAM4 to be installed, so our customers typically install SAM4 during planned maintenance or shutdown.

When SAM4 detects an upcoming failure we reach out to our customers via email and – when the message is urgent – via phone. In addition to this, customers receive incident notifications via our online dashboard, and/or through one of our API integrations.

The dashboard is a core part of SAM4 providing our customers with insights on their assets’ condition monitoring status, (real-time) performance metrics, and energy savings opportunities. The online dashboard is available 24/7.

Samotics provides a dedicated onboarding and installation specialist to support our clients with any installation-related inquiries, and a dedicated customer success manager and asset reliability specialist for continuous support once a project has started.

Examples include:

• Yorkshire Water
• ArcelorMittal
• DuPont

We deliver our insights via SAM4’s dashboard which is accessible via mobile, tablet, or PC / computer 24/7/365. As mentioned before, we also are able to integrate insights into existing CMMS systems via our API connections.

Samotics offers a dedicated onboarding and installation team, an asset reliability team, and a customer success team to help train and support our clients while using SAM4.

Each client is assigned a Customer Success Manager who collects feedback and suggestions for improvement.

We offer a site license for 50 units. Most clients start with implementing around 25 units in the first wave and deploy the additional units after 2/3 months.

Identify a site with enough suitable equipment that has a strong technical fit with SAM4 and start collecting and uploading asset information to our onboarding porta for a technical review by one of our asset reliability specialists.

Samotics provides each client with a dedicated onboarding and implementation specialist who supports the client across hardware shipment, installation-related questions, and commissioning. We also utilize an onboarding portal for customers to upload asset information, confirm the technical fit of each asset with SAM4, track SAM4 hardware shipment, and commissioning.

Your assigned Technical Onboarding Specialist will teach you how to handle common issues. You’ll have access to the SAM4 Setup Tool for basic checks. You can also use our WhatsApp chat support during Central European Time (CET) working hours (9:00 AM – 17:00 PM) for specific questions. More information can be found here.

Dashboard customization is currently not available.

On the SAM4 dashboard, you can filter notifications by asset condition and alert status.

There are pages dedicated to condition incidents and energy cases in the sidebar of the SAM4 dashboard. There are also many metrics and insights available on the asset pages.

All data is encrypted, and we perform yearly penetration tests to ensure security. Devices are initialized at known locations to ensure security keys aren’t transferred across unknown networks.

Yes, SAM4 is a cloud-based product. The current and voltage data gathered by our hardware on site is transferred to our cloud environment for analysis.

Our clients own the data generated by SAM4. Samotics acquires a license to use the data.

Yes, we have multiple API options available to share both data and insights.

Yes.

SAM4 comes with a one-year warranty from the delivery date on its hardware, covering free repair or replacement of defective parts due to manufacturing defects and normal wear, excluding tampering or improper use.

Yes, SAM4/ESA is often part of a broader Condition monitoring toolkit. As a result, many clients use SAM4 alongside other tools. In some cases, customers use multiple tools alongside each other for their most critical equipment.

If there’s an issue, we will send replacement hardware.

SAM4 stands out from other techniques and technologies due to its underlying algorithms and scalability. Unlike competitors, SAM4 can be deployed across an entire network or fleet of assets, maximizing the benefits of asset management technology. This scalability is a key advantage, as it allows comprehensive monitoring and management, rather than being limited to a few assets. Additionally, SAM4 is the only solution offering real-time, 24/7 insights into asset performance, with the ability to alert clients months in advance of potential issues.

Yes, we can in two ways. First of all, we perform a health scan shortly after installation to validate the condition of the assets at the start. Secondly, we are able to detect failures present in the machines as they progressively worsen over time. In certain cases it may happen we are not able to detect a failure present at installation – e.g., when the failure is developed significantly causing the asset to fail shortly after installation.