hero industrial fans
Asset monitoring / Industrial fans

Keep air moving.
Keep production running.

Unbalance, misalignment, bearing wear and loose foundations all change the current a fan motor draws. Artesis follows those changes from the electrical panel — no sensors on the fan, the duct or the platform.

5.5 kVHighest fan motor voltage in the cases below
7 field casesCement, food, glass and automotive plants
0 sensors on the fanCurrent and voltage measured in the MCC
01 / The challenge

Critical airflow.
Challenging access.

Process, ID and exhaust fans keep gases and air moving through kilns, dryers, ovens and extraction systems. When one trips, the process behind it stops too.

Dust, heat, height and enclosed housings make route-based inspection slow and infrequent. Because the fan is mechanically coupled to its motor, developing faults show up as small, characteristic changes in motor current — continuously visible from the MCC.

01

Connect at the electrical panel

e-MCM uses the existing three-phase current and voltage signals. No vibration sensors on the fan, no cabling on platforms.

02

Learn operating behaviour

Electrical Signature Analysis and machine learning build a baseline for each motor–fan set under its real load.

03

Turn findings into action

Deviations are grouped as electrical, mechanical or load-related and explained with maintenance guidance.

02 / Featured case · Cement

Fan misalignment detected.
Improvement verified in the field.

DOCUMENTED FIELD CASE
FAN BC3 / CONDITION COMPARISON
Artesis condition comparison bar chart for a cement plant fan with unbalance/misalignment and transmission indicators in the caution band

Unbalance/misalignment and transmission indicators in the caution band.

FAN BC3 / POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY
Artesis power spectral density of the cement fan with unbalance and bearing-related peaks marked

Unbalance and bearing-related peaks above the learned envelope. Select to open full size.

50%

Lower reported vibration
6 mm/s → 3 mm/s after the motor-to-fan coupling alignment was corrected.

A targeted alignment correction.

5,500 VNominal voltage
184 ANominal current

The findingArtesis flagged elevated unbalance/misalignment and transmission indicators on a medium-voltage cement plant fan.

The interventionThe customer found poor alignment between the motor and the fan coupling and corrected it.

The verificationReported vibration fell from 6 mm/s to 3 mm/s after the correction — an independent check of the maintenance result.

  1. 1Misalignment indicators in caution band
  2. 2Coupling alignment corrected
  3. 3Vibration halved: 6 → 3 mm/s

Source: Artesis Case Study 2024, slides 18–20. The 50% reduction is calculated from the reported values. Customer name withheld.

03 / More field cases

Bearings, belts, looseness
and wasted energy.

4 INDUSTRIES
Artesis power spectral density of a food plant ID fan with transmission and bearing peaks marked
Food · Transmission + bearing

A small ID fan with two problems — and an oversized motor

The spectrum showed transmission and bearing components above the learned envelope. The electrical report added that the motor ran below 60% load, so a smaller motor would save energy.

Rating
415 V · 10.6 A
Outcome
Faults flagged + right-sizing advice
Artesis AMTPro condition assessment report for an exhaust fan listing faults and their energy effect in kWh
Industrial exhaust fan · Energy

What the faults cost in energy

One AMTPro test flagged looseness, transmission-element and bearing faults, and estimated their combined energy effect. Correcting them was worth up to 63,613 kWh per year.

Rating
461 V · 175 A · 52 Hz
Energy effect
63,613 kWh / year
Artesis MCM trend of the bearing parameter on a glass plant mould cooling fan crossing the alarm threshold
Glass · Bearing

Swapped to the spare before it failed

On a mould cooling fan the bearing parameter crossed its alarm level. A motor bearing fault was found; the spare motor took over, and after repair the parameter returned to its learned level.

Duty
Mould cooling, 24/7
Outcome
Unplanned downtime avoided
Artesis MCM trend of the loose component parameter on a glass plant fan with a sudden increase
Glass · Looseness

Loose bearing housing screws

The loose component parameter crept over its alarm level, then jumped five days later. Maintenance found loose bearing housing screws and tightened them.

Duty
Mould cooling, 24/7
Outcome
Screws re-tightened
Automotive · Spray booth exhaust fan

A loose belt, read from the trend

A transmission fault alarm led engineers to the trend data, which pointed to a loose belt. Maintenance confirmed it — belt slip also wastes energy.

Glass · 200 kW mould cooling fan

An e-mail, then lubrication

A sudden rise in the bearing parameter triggered an alarm e-mail. The front motor bearing was running hot; after lubrication the parameter fell back.

Cases are individual outcomes from Artesis field deployments between 2005 and 2024. All visuals are from Artesis software. Customer names are withheld.

04 / What we detect

Fault modes, signals
and evidence strength.

Evidence strength reflects how reliably a condition produces an observable electrical pattern in typical industrial fan installations — not a guarantee of detection.

ConditionWhat changes in the signalEvidenceField case
Drive train · mechanical
UnbalanceUnbalance-related patternGoodCement fan →
Misalignment and couplingAlignment-related patternGoodCement fan →
Bearing wearBearing-related pattern in the current spectrumGoodID fan, mould cooling fan
Belt and transmissionBelt and pulley-related patternGoodID fan, spray booth fan
Looseness and foundationLooseness-related patternGoodMould cooling fan, exhaust fan
Motor · electrical
Rotor barsRotor-related pattern in the current spectrumStrong—
Stator and insulationCurrent imbalance well above voltage imbalanceStrong—
Supply and connectionsVoltage imbalance, harmonics, per-phase RMSStrong—
Load · process and energy
Airflow restriction, damper changesLoad level and stability versus learned baselineGoodSee AHU page
Oversized motor, wasted energyLoad below ~60% of rating; kWh effect per faultStrongID fan, exhaust fan
05 / Outside the envelope

Where electrical signatures are weaker.

We state the limits up front, so monitoring is set up where it adds most and paired with the right complementary checks.

Very low speed

Below about 20 Hz on a VFD, signatures can fall under reliable thresholds.

Blade cracks and erosion

Early blade damage may not change load or balance enough to be seen.

Duct and housing resonance

Structural vibration not transmitted to the motor load is outside ESA’s view.

Detailed bearing grading

For fine bearing assessment, a portable vibration check adds sensitivity — without permanent sensors.

Observed patterns are interpreted by qualified personnel; they guide investigation rather than replace it. AMTPro spot tests need near-constant speed (±1% frequency) during capture.

06 / How you deploy it

Continuous where it matters.
Portable everywhere else.

Online · permanently installed

e-MCM

  • Critical process, ID and FD fans
  • 24/7 learning, trending and alarms
  • Supports VFD applications
  • Results in OmniSight across sites
Portable · route-based

AMTPro

  • Auxiliary and HVAC fans
  • Spot tests from the MCC in minutes
  • Automatic condition report per test
  • Energy impact estimate in every report

Artesis Insight explains the finding.

Artesis Insight turns spectra and trends into plain-language explanations and next steps. Your team does not need to be an ESA specialist to act on a result.

Illustrative maintenance guidance

Investigate fan alignment.

Elevated misalignment indicators warrant checking alignment between motor and fan, together with coupling condition and mounting integrity.

After action
Compare condition trends under similar speed and load, and verify with an appropriate field measurement.

Example wording only; not a live alarm or a reproduced AI report.

07 / Applications

One approach. Across your critical fans.

Induced-draft (ID) fansForced-draft (FD) fansProcess and exhaust fansDust extraction fansKiln and cooler fansMould cooling fansSpray booth exhaust fansCooling tower and HVAC fans
Does monitoring require access to the fan?

No. Current and voltage are measured at the electrical panel, so nothing is fitted to the fan. Installation is planned electrical work inside the cabinet by qualified personnel.

Can medium-voltage fans be monitored?

Yes. The cement case on this page runs at 5.5 kV. The e-MCM configuration and the available CT/PT secondary signals are reviewed for each application.

Does it work on belt-driven fans?

Yes. Belt wear, slip and pulley misalignment produce a characteristic pattern in the spectrum, as the ID fan and spray booth cases show.

Can fans on VFDs be monitored?

Yes. e-MCM supports VFD applications. The baseline is best established at a fixed speed first; diagnostic confidence is reduced below roughly 20 Hz.

What information is needed to start?

Motor nameplate data, fan type, typical operating current, drive arrangement (direct, coupling or belt) and the measurement points available in the cabinet.

Bring your critical fans into view.

Tell us about your fan application. We’ll help you identify a suitable monitoring setup.

Talk to Artesis ↗

Contact Info

58 Thomas St, New York, 10013 USA

+1 443 315 2056

enquiry@artesis.com

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