Why Vibration Analysis Alone Is Not Enough: SDT Ultrasound and Artesis Electrical Monitoring

Most predictive maintenance programs at plants across Kazakhstan and the CIS are built around a single tool — vibration analysis. It works, but it covers far from everything. Early-stage bearing defects, compressed-air leaks, lubrication condition, and electrical and mechanical motor faults without shaft-mounted sensors — here vibration is either too late or doesn't see the problem at all.

These blind spots can be closed with two complementary tools: SDT ultrasonic diagnostics and Artesis online motor monitoring. Each one solves its own narrow set of problems on its own. Together, they give a picture of equipment condition that neither can provide alone.

What vibration analysis sees — and where its blind spots are

Vibration analysis is a mature, proven method. It reliably catches imbalance, misalignment, and well-developed bearing and gear defects. But it has physical limitations:

• Early-stage bearing defects. A vibration signal appears once the defect has already developed. Vibration typically misses the first two of the four stages of bearing failure.
• Lubrication quality. Vibration won't tell you whether a bearing has enough grease or whether dry friction has started — not until mechanical damage occurs.
• Compressed-air and gas leaks. This isn't a vibration phenomenon, so a vibration meter simply cannot detect it.
• Electrical motor faults. Interturn shorts, rotor defects and supply-network problems remain invisible to vibration at an early stage.

These are precisely the zones that ultrasound and electrical monitoring close.

SDT 340 and LUBExpert: hearing what vibration cannot

The SDT 340 is an ultrasonic detector that picks up acoustic signals in the 20–100 kHz range: bearing friction, compressed-air and gas leaks, steam trap failures, corona discharge and partial discharge in high-voltage equipment.

The key advantage here is time. A bearing defect goes through four stages of development, and ultrasound catches stage one or two long before a vibration signal appears. That's the difference between a planned replacement during a maintenance window and an emergency conveyor stoppage.

A separate pain point that the SDT 340 solves even without LUBExpert is compressed-air leaks. They're invisible to the eye but represent direct losses: leaks typically account for 20–30% of a compressor station's total output. Across a fleet of 3–5 compressors, that easily adds up to six-figure annual losses. The instrument finds these leaks in a single walk-around — not weeks of guessing from power bills.

LUBExpert goes a step further and solves a problem that's usually overlooked entirely: greasing on a schedule instead of by actual condition. According to SKF, over-greasing is the #1 cause of premature bearing failure — the technician can't see how much grease is actually needed, so they either apply extra "just in case" or under-grease to save on consumables.

LUBExpert uses the ultrasonic signal to show the exact moment a bearing has enough grease and stops the process right there. The result is a 30–50% reduction in lubricant consumption and a 25–40% increase in bearing life.

Artesis e-MCM and AMT Pro: the motor itself as a sensor

Vibration analysis and ultrasound solve a great deal, but they share a common limitation: they need physical access to the component and, typically, a shaft-mounted sensor. At a plant with a fleet of several hundred motors, fitting sensors to every single one is neither physically nor economically realistic — selective monitoring means part of the fleet simply goes undiagnosed.

Artesis e-MCM takes a different approach: instead of a shaft sensor, the system analyzes the motor's supply current and voltage, effectively turning the motor itself into a sensor. It connects to existing power circuits without stopping production and without additional sensors. As a result, the entire motor fleet is monitored — not just a selective 15–20% of the most critical units.

The system detects bearing defects, rotor eccentricity, imbalance, misalignment, pump cavitation and electrical faults in the supply network — 3 to 6 months before failure. That's enough lead time to plan a replacement during a normal maintenance window rather than dealing with the aftermath of a breakdown.

AMT Pro is the portable version of the same approach: motor surveys without stopping production, with a condition report generated on the spot within minutes.

Comparing the methods: vibration, ultrasound, electrical monitoring

What's being diagnosed	Vibration analysis	SDT ultrasound	Artesis electrical monitoring
Well-developed bearing defects	Yes	Yes	Yes
Early-stage bearing defects	Late	Earliest detection	3–6 months ahead
Lubrication quality and quantity	No	Yes (LUBExpert)	No
Compressed-air and gas leaks	No	Yes	No
Electrical motor faults	Limited	Partial discharge only	Yes
Coverage of the entire motor fleet	Selective	Selective	Continuous
Works without stopping equipment	Yes	Yes	Yes

The table makes the key point clear: no single method fully overlaps with another. Their zones of confident diagnosis are different — and that's exactly why they add up to a system.

Why together, not instead

A common objection is: "We already have vibration analysis, why add anything else?" The reason is that vibration, ultrasound and electrical diagnostics detect different physical manifestations of the same defects, often at different stages of their development.

Artesis electrical monitoring covers the entire motor fleet continuously and flags issues months before failure: something is wrong, and where. SDT ultrasound provides laboratory-grade, targeted diagnostics on a specific component — earlier than the defect would show up in vibration, and with an indication of its stage. LUBExpert closes a third failure source that neither vibration nor electrical monitoring can see: lubrication service quality.

In practice, the workflow is simple:

1. e-MCM, in continuous monitoring mode, detects a deviation in a conveyor or pump motor's behavior months before failure.
2. Technicians take an SDT 340 and run a targeted ultrasonic check on the component to confirm the cause and stage of the defect: a bearing, cavitation, or a leak in an adjacent pneumatic system.
3. From there, either LUBExpert resolves the issue on the spot with lubrication, or the need for replacement is confirmed — and it's already on the maintenance schedule rather than happening as an emergency.

Each instrument pays for itself on its own: the SDT 340 within 2–3 months from detected air leaks alone, and Artesis within the first year through avoided unplanned shutdowns (ROI of 300%+, given that replacing one large motor can cost from $50,000 to $500,000 before accounting for production downtime). Together, they close nearly the entire spectrum of mechanical, electrical and operational defects in rotating equipment.

What this means for plants in Kazakhstan and the CIS

The shift from calendar-based to condition-based maintenance stopped being an experiment long ago — it's now the working standard at mining, oil and gas, and power generation facilities across the region. The combination of SDT and Artesis doesn't require a production shutdown to implement and doesn't replace an existing vibration monitoring system — it complements it precisely where vibration physically cannot provide an answer.

The effect is especially noticeable on heavy rotating equipment: ball mills, crushers, conveyors, pumping and compressor stations, where a single unplanned stoppage costs more than an entire diagnostics program.

For a plant with a large fleet of rotating equipment, the question isn't whether additional diagnostics are needed — it's what costs more: a monitoring system, or one unplanned stoppage of a conveyor, pump station, or compressor station.

Frequently asked questions

Does ultrasound replace vibration analysis?

No. Ultrasound complements vibration: it detects incipient bearing defects earlier and sees what vibration cannot register at all — air leaks, lubrication condition, partial discharge. An optimal program uses both methods.

Does equipment need to be stopped for diagnostics?

No. Both SDT ultrasonic instruments and the Artesis e-MCM system work on running equipment. e-MCM connects to existing power circuits without stopping production.

How is Artesis e-MCM different from shaft-mounted vibration sensors?

e-MCM doesn't require a shaft sensor — it analyzes supply current and voltage, turning the motor itself into a sensor. This makes it possible to continuously monitor the entire motor fleet, not just a selective set of critical units.

How much advance warning do these methods give before a failure?

Ultrasound catches a bearing defect at stage 1–2 (earlier than vibration). Artesis e-MCM flags deviations 3–6 months before failure — enough time to plan a repair during a maintenance window.

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KEG TRK is the official distributor of SDT International and Artesis in Kazakhstan and the CIS. We can help calculate the ROI of a combined solution for your equipment fleet.