Master's Thesis On Conveyor Belt Monitoring

Company Description

Today, we are not utilizing resources in a sustainable way. In fact, the world is only 9% circular, meaning much of the Earth’s precious resources are only used once, leaving huge untapped potential for more sustainable resource management. TOMRA provides cutting-edge solutions for optimal resource productivity within the recycling, mining and food industries and is therefore uniquely positioned to shape the Circular Economy, creating demand for this way of thinking in the world. At TOMRA we want to be a thought leader, encouraging a more sustainable way of thinking and inspiring active change around the world.

**Job Description**:
A central component of TOMRA's sensor-based sorters is the main feed belt that transports material through the detection system and toward the actuators of the ejection system. The subcomponents of the conveying system (including the belt itself, the pulleys and bearings, and the motor) experience mechanical stress during operation that is a result of environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, dust, humidity) and the load on the conveyor due to the material that is fed to the machine.

Degradation of the performance of these subcomponents can be experienced over time, and replacement due to wear and tear is a common maintenance procedure. If failure of a subcomponent happens suddenly, the necessary repairs will cause unplanned downtime for the production process that the sorter is a part of, typically resulting in additional financial losses to the company that is operating the sorter.

Preventive maintenance allows the customer to do the replacement work at planned maintenance intervals when the whole production is on hold. Doing such replacements much earlier than necessary is costly. If they happen too late, the risk of sudden failure increases - with its high cost due to the loss of production time of the whole process.

In this master's thesis we want to examine whether it is possible to predict the nearing of the end of life of components of the conveyor system and indicate to the customer that a replacement needs to be scheduled soon. We will do this by evaluating data of existing and new, additional sensors attached to parts of the sorting system (e.g. for vibration, forces, temperatures, and power consumption).

**Qualifications**:
Student in the field of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field of study
- Good technical understanding
- Strong interest in new technologies
- Highly motivated and self-driven
- Ability to work analytically
- Good written and spoken English

Additional Information

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- your CV (in English)
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