The tobacco product market is currently experiencing increasingly fierce competition. With the rapid development of the cigarette manufacturing industry, the role and influence of tobacco machinery and equipment are becoming increasingly important. To ensure the continuous and stable operation of tobacco machinery and equipment, maintain its good performance, and generate greater economic benefits, tobacco companies must conduct regular inspections and maintenance. Currently, many tobacco companies lack a high level of machinery inspection and predictive maintenance capabilities, and their maintenance teams are not flexible enough. Therefore, tobacco companies need to improve their systems and requirements for the inspection and maintenance of tobacco machinery and equipment.
1. The meaning of fault diagnosis
Fault diagnosis technology refers to the identification of the normal operating status of tobacco machinery and equipment, thereby ensuring whether the overall or partial operation of the tobacco machinery and equipment is normal and optimal, so as to detect hidden faults in the tobacco machinery and equipment at an early stage, find out the causes, and understand the occurrence and development trend of faults in tobacco machinery and equipment. Its main purpose is to carry out fault detection on tobacco machinery and equipment, analyze the causes of faults, prevent problems before they occur, and improve the ability to predict and manage faults in tobacco machinery and equipment.
2. Application of Fault Diagnosis Technology in the Tobacco Industry
2.1 When performing fault diagnosis, an appropriate diagnostic method should be selected.
Regarding diagnostic methods and approaches for tobacco machinery and equipment, more precise diagnostic measures can be implemented based on a preliminary, simple diagnosis. Several issues require special attention during the diagnostic process. Different diagnostic methods apply to different types of tobacco machinery and equipment, such as cigarette rolling machines and packaging machines. First, the power source must be identified. Second, the subsystems of different tobacco machinery and equipment should be inspected to uncover hidden problems and the root causes of malfunctions as much as possible. Regular inspections and fault predictions should be conducted on key components of the equipment that are prone to failure to understand the patterns of failure and facilitate regular monitoring and maintenance of the tobacco machinery and equipment. For enclosed gear parts in tobacco machinery and equipment that require lubrication, in addition to vibration testing and analysis, ferrography analysis of oil samples should also be performed as an auxiliary means of testing to improve the accuracy of the detection.
2.2 Selection and Configuration of Diagnostic Instruments
Based on the different characteristics and unique fault diagnosis requirements of various tobacco machinery and equipment, certain basic instruments are available for testing personnel to choose from. These include vibration measurement and temperature measurement and analysis instruments. Vibration testing is a commonly used method in the fault detection of tobacco machinery and equipment. When using testing instruments, vibration measurement and analysis instruments should be the first choice. These mainly come in two types: vibration signal acquisition instruments and vibration signal analysis instruments. These analytical instruments can be used at the fault site of tobacco machinery and equipment, and can also be used in conjunction with computer connections, offering a wide range of applications. Temperature measurement and analysis instruments can detect and analyze the temperature of solids, liquids, and gases. Furthermore, infrared thermal imagers can be fully utilized to detect the local temperature of tobacco machinery and equipment, improving the fault detection rate.
3. Characteristics of tobacco machinery and equipment and problems encountered in the application of fault diagnosis technology
3.1 General equipment for tobacco machinery
The machinery used in the production of cigarettes is largely similar to that used in other related products, including conventional equipment such as power equipment and conveying devices. The main characteristic of this machinery is that it maximizes the basic power required for production and the production process, while also providing power to other machinery. Furthermore, it includes a series of safety features and employee safety facilities, primarily protecting the personal safety of operators and providing a range of equipment repair tools for maintenance and repair, thus ensuring the safety and continuity of tobacco production. Addressing malfunctions in tobacco equipment is much easier if its operating characteristics are considered. There are mature and reliable detection mechanisms and maintenance measures for analyzing the causes of malfunctions and researching solutions. Generally, malfunctions in tobacco machinery arise from severe wear or aging of internal components under high-load operation. Only by addressing the cause of the malfunction and adopting reasonable detection methods and troubleshooting plans can appropriate solutions be applied to repair the faulty parts of the tobacco machinery. For example, vibration detection is suitable for detecting the cause of malfunctions in the exhaust fans used for air circulation in tobacco factories.
3.2 Specialized equipment used by tobacco companies
In tobacco product manufacturing, a series of specialized equipment are used for cigarette processing, rolling, and packaging, including leaf (shred) rehydration machines, feeding machines, flavoring machines, shredders, drying machines, rolling machines, packaging machines, and filter rod forming machines. These specialized machines are essential for cigarette production and are crucial links in the process. Diagnosing tobacco-specific machinery is significantly more difficult than diagnosing general-purpose equipment. Generally speaking, the specialized equipment used by tobacco companies has the following characteristics:
Firstly, specialized equipment such as shredding, winding, and packaging equipment possess highly complex operating systems. During operation, multiple power sources are required to provide power, and these different power sources support different subsystems. Furthermore, the transmission systems and operating methods of tobacco equipment vary. Some equipment uses rotary transmission, while others use reciprocating motion. This results in different impact vibration sources within the internal structures of these devices. Under normal operating conditions, vibrations at these locations may exceed general vibration standards. Therefore, using the testing standards for general equipment is inappropriate when diagnosing tobacco machinery. The precision required in certain areas of specialized tobacco machinery is extremely high, making it difficult to install operational data sensors or fault detection probes. Additionally, the extremely confined internal operating space of tobacco machinery makes safe inspection impossible.
Secondly, some tobacco machinery's fault monitoring points are hidden inside the equipment, making it impossible for fault diagnosis personnel to detect the faults. Furthermore, some tobacco processing equipment is not made of metallic magnetic materials, making it difficult for fault detectors to secure the magnetic base when using sensors, significantly complicating equipment inspection. Simultaneously, my country is continuously importing modern tobacco machinery and learning advanced international testing and maintenance technologies. However, since many precision tobacco machinery used by Chinese tobacco companies, such as cutting, cigarette rolling, and packaging equipment, are imported, operators often lack a comprehensive understanding of the imported equipment's functions, performance, and operating procedures. Their knowledge of the internal transmission systems and component structures is also limited, directly increasing the difficulty of fault analysis for tobacco machinery. In addition, because tobacco companies are a specialized product manufacturing industry, their production processes are typically highly continuous. Disassembling tobacco machinery is very complex, making it difficult for fault diagnostic personnel to accurately assess the results. Therefore, testing personnel should strengthen the control of tobacco machinery before, during, and after operation. Maintenance personnel should promptly acquire new maintenance technologies for the equipment to ensure timely repair when tobacco machinery malfunctions, and operators should also perform standard operating procedures.
4. Development Trends of Fault Diagnosis Technology in Tobacco Machinery and Equipment
4.1 Research and Development of Remote Fault Diagnosis Technology Based on Computer Networks
Remote fault diagnosis is based on both tobacco machinery fault diagnosis technology and information technology. Monitoring points are set up on tobacco machinery, and its operating status and information are transmitted via the internet to qualified tobacco companies or specialized tobacco machinery research institutes for fault diagnosis, thereby improving the diagnostic capabilities of tobacco companies' machinery. If remote diagnosis of tobacco machinery can be achieved, it is crucial to ensure the accuracy of computer data acquisition, including the feasibility of signal acquisition, signal processing, pattern recognition, and decision-making in the fault diagnosis process. Furthermore, the standards for fault data acquisition, fault information transmission, and fault diagnosis methods must be standardized.
4.2 Application of Automatic Detection Technology
Automated inspection technology is a major component of automation technology. It is the result of the organic combination and gradual optimization of traditional equipment and sensor technology in tobacco machinery design and manufacturing. During the design and manufacturing process, the application of automated inspection technology can save a significant amount of manpower, and can even complete tasks smoothly without human intervention. Simultaneously, it significantly improves the production efficiency and quality of tobacco machinery design and manufacturing. An automated inspection system typically consists of four stages: sensor sensing design, signal recognition and adjustment, data processing, and sensing result output. In many cases, it incorporates high-tech, advanced information processing systems such as computers, making the inspection results more effective and reliable.
5. Conclusion
Tobacco machinery and equipment are key elements in the production and development of tobacco enterprises. Due to the inherent complexity of tobacco machinery and equipment, tobacco enterprises must strengthen the management of fault detection and maintenance. Establishing and improving a control system for fault detection and maintenance of tobacco machinery and equipment, and enhancing the training of technical personnel, are essential to ensuring the steady progress of overall tobacco production.
