Intelligent Gear Technology And Digital Condition Monitoring Systems

Wilhelm Fischer Spezialmaschinenfabrik GmbH presents intelligent gear technologies and digital services for the packaging industry at the BrauBeviale trade fair, taking place in Nuremberg from November 10 to 12, 2026. At Booth 7-460 in Hall 7, the company demonstrates how networked drive components increase equipment availability and enable condition-based maintenance concepts in bottling plants for six-pack containers.

Core Technology And System Architecture
At the centre of the technological presentation are intelligent gearboxes featuring cynapse from WITTENSTEIN alpha, which possess integrated sensors, logic functions, and an IO-Link interface for data transmission. The system architecture brings together component information as well as operational and status data within the open control platform ctrlX AUTOMATION by Bosch Rexroth. Via an integrated app, the cynapse Analyze portfolio uses the specific Health Index to access this data directly, capturing and visualising the stress on relevant gearbox components over their operating time. The smart gearboxes transmit parameters such as speed and torque into a shared data pool that supports condition monitoring applications.

Deployment And Implementation
The implementation of this use case took place in close partnership within the Packaging Valley network. Wilhelm Fischer Spezialmaschinenfabrik integrated the digital services from WITTENSTEIN directly into the machine control system using the automation platform provided by Bosch Rexroth. During the trade fair, experts will demonstrate live how this cross-departmental integration of mechanical engineering, control technology, and digitalisation expertise is incorporated into existing packaging architectures to make operational data directly usable for machine operation and condition-based service.

Industrial Applications
The showcased diagnostic and automation solutions are specifically aimed at operators of packaging and bottling plants in the beverage industry. Concrete technical use cases include the continuous monitoring of drive axes for the early detection of critical operating states and the anticipation of potential machine failures under varying loads. The deployment of these data-driven condition monitoring systems ensures significantly higher process stability and supports plant operators in establishing condition-based service and replacement measures.




Operational Impacts And Performance Metrics
The continuous digital condition monitoring of mechanical components reduces unplanned machine downtimes, thereby minimising production losses and delivery delays. The data-driven transparency regarding the actual operational behaviour of the gearboxes optimises the planning of maintenance interventions, lowers upkeep costs, and significantly minimises failure risks. By expanding their facilities with these digital services, machine manufacturers generate additional value, while operators benefit from higher productivity and reliability over the entire machine lifecycle.

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor - adapted by AI.

www.wittenstein-group.com