ABSTRACT
Approximately half of all operating costs in most processing and manufacturing operations can be
attributed to maintenance. This is ample motivation for studying any activity that can potentially lower
these costs. Machine condition monitoring and fault diagnostics is one of these activities. Machine
condition monitoring and fault diagnostics can be defined as the field of technical activity in which
selected physical parameters, associated with machinery operation, are observed for the purpose of
determining machinery integrity. Once the integrity of a machine has been estimated, this information
can be used for many different purposes. Loading and maintenance activities are the two main tasks that
link directly to the information provided. The ultimate goal in regard to maintenance activities is to
schedule only what is needed at a time, which results in optimum use of resources. Having said this, it
should also be noted that condition monitoring and fault diagnostic practices are also applied to improve
end product quality control and as such can also be considered as process monitoring tools.
