How to implement digital sensory inspection: step by step

Sensory inspection is the routine in which inspectors use their senses (sight, hearing, touch and smell) to find anomalies in equipment, such as noise, heat, vibration, leaks and odors. It is also called sensitive inspection.

Knowing how to implement sensory inspection in digital format means recording every finding with photos, audio, criticality and location, so that it becomes data for maintenance planning.

This guide shows how to do it with DynaSens, the digital inspection feature of the Dynamox Platform: what to prepare before you start, how to set up checklists and routes, how inspectors run them in the app and how to analyze the results.

What you need before you start

A digital inspection program works best when three things are defined before the first route:

• The asset tree. Equipment, subsets and components must be registered on the Dynamox Platform, because each checklist is linked to a point in this tree.
• Asset criticality. Critical assets need shorter intervals and more detailed checklists. A criticality matrix helps define these priorities.
• Who inspects and how often. Each route needs a responsible inspector, a start date and a frequency that fits the maintenance plan.

Step 1: Set up checklists on the Dynamox Platform

The first step is to create checklists that match your assets and the reality of your operation. When creating them, you define the questions that guide the inspection and how each one will be answered. The answers can be recorded in different formats:

The measurement fields bring instrumented inspection into the same routine: the inspector records the value read on the instrument together with the sensory findings.

You can build several checklists for each piece of equipment, one for each component, according to its operating characteristics.

DynaSens also offers ready-made templates, such as a standard checklist open to customization, a checklist for conveyor belt rollers, a manual measurement checklist and a belt thickness checklist.

Once the questions are defined, link each checklist to the corresponding equipment in the asset tree. To go deeper into this step, read the guide on how to create effective inspection checklists.

Step 2: Define inspection routes

With the checklists ready, define the sequence and frequency of your inspection routes. You also set the start date, the responsible users and the actions expected from the inspector.

The sequence of assets can follow the physical layout of the plant, so the inspector walks an efficient path and covers every point planned. For a complete view of how to plan routes, see the guide to inspection routes.

Step 3: Run the routes in the app

In this step, the inspector receives the planned routes in the Dynamox Platform app, available for Android and iOS on phones and tablets, and records the condition of each asset.

When answering the checklists, the inspector can also select a criticality level for each anomaly. This shows how severe the condition is and generates alerts automatically on the platform.

Each record includes the user who answered it, the geolocation and the attachments, which makes the inspection traceable and auditable.

Routes can also be run offline, in areas without network coverage. The data is synchronized with the cloud later and becomes available on the Dynamox Platform.

Step 4: Analyze reports and dashboards

With the information collected in the field, the next step is to interpret the anomalies. On the Dynamox Platform, you access the reports generated from each route and dashboards with:

• condition indicators for each inspected area;
• the status of scheduled inspections (performed or not performed);
• criticality alerts;
• the evolution of the values measured in the instrumented inspection.

Managers can also follow the performance of the inspection team and turn the findings into technical reports to plan corrective actions.

Step 5: Combine inspection findings with sensor data

The Machine Viewer, the screen that shows each machine’s condition, brings together three sources: the data from the DynaLoggers, the anomalies reported in the sensory inspection and the values measured in the instrumented inspection.

Comparing sensor data with what the inspector observed on the route gives a wider view of the asset. The sensors show changes in vibration and temperature continuously, while the inspector finds what sensors do not measure, such as leaks, loose guards or dirt.

Common implementation mistakes

Avoid these mistakes when you start a digital inspection program:

1. Generic checklists. The same questions for every asset miss the failure modes of each component.
2. Routes without a physical sequence. Inspectors waste time going back and forth and may skip points.
3. No criticality criteria. Without a shared scale, the same anomaly gets different ratings from different inspectors.
4. Findings without action. Alerts that do not become work orders make the team lose trust in the process.
5. No periodic review. Checklists and routes need adjustments as assets, failures and priorities change.

See how this works in a real operation in the case Sensitive inspection automates Vale’s lift line routes. To understand the role of sensory inspection in maintenance, read Sensitive inspection as a maintenance ally.

Ready to digitize your inspection routines? Learn more about DynaSens on the Dynamox Platform or talk to Dynamox specialists.

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