Case Study: DataMind AI™ Identifies Gearbox Tooth Damage in Ball Mill and Ensures Operational Continuity
February 19, 2025
DataMind AI™ was installed at an iron ore mining site in Australia to monitor critical equipment, including the Ball Mill. The site had historically faced recurring gearbox failures, leading to costly unplanned downtime and safety risks.
Shortly after installation, DataMind AI™ flagged the Ball Mill gearbox with an “Alarm” status, detecting increasing friction that manual inspections had overlooked. By January 2025, the system escalated the issue to “Critical”, identifying a broken tooth in the output shaft gear—a failure that could have led to catastrophic damage.
By detecting the issue early, the site’s maintenance team was able to replace the gearbox during planned maintenance, preventing costly downtime and ensuring operational continuity.
Conclusion
DataMind AI™ improved Ball Mill maintenance by identifying early gearbox failure signs missed by traditional methods. By replacing the gearbox in time, this case demonstrates how AI-driven predictive maintenance helps maintenance teams prevent failures, reduce costs, and keep operations running smoothly.
