Plenary Speaker: Nunzio Abbate

Condition-based Monitoring (CbM) and Predictive Maintenance (PM) are two maintenance strategies which aim at optimizing equipment efficiency and reducing service timing and costs during equipment lifecycle.
Condition Monitoring (CM) , in example in the industrial motors, is the monitoring of several parameters such as equipment vibration and temperature to identify potential issues such as misalignments or bearing failures.

Predictive maintenance (PdM) is a key component of smart industry that involves monitoring equipment during operation to detect early the warning signs of potential failures.
PdM is largely based on condition based monitoring (CbM) through the analysis of vibration, which is the most common method to detect imbalance, misalignment and other anomalies in machinery.

Traditional vibration sensing instruments are based on piezoelectric technology, but capacitive MEMS technology is gaining popularity in this field for various reasons involving flexibility and cost, and the fact that MEMS sensors are closing the gap to piezoelectric sensors in terms of bandwidth and dynamic range.

From designing smart sensor nodes and configuring embedded software running in sensor nodes (Edge) and the gateway, to developing software to be integrated in the Cloud or company Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Predictive Maintenance requires a variety of skills and competencies.

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence algorithms could be implemented too to ensure technical abnormalities are detected early and equipment uptime is maximized.

Nunzio Abbate is Senior Director of the System Lab DU/SRA in STMicroelectronics.
Abbate began his career in Alfa Romeo (FCA) as production engineer.
In STMicroelectronics since 1999, after a short time, he takes the lead of Product Engineering in Microcontrollers Division.
In 2005 he was appointed responsible for Automation, Robotics and Transportation solutions of System Lab Department, addressing System R&D on Industrial Automation.
In this role, he leads development of “turn-key system solutions” for Industrial Automation & eMobility, and coordinates Company programs on Electric Vehicles and Power Modules / Mechatronic & SiP products.
In 2013 he was appointed System LAB & SPG General Manager, contributing to the definition of products and the growth of ST's business in power technologies, mechatronic systems, RF modules, MEMS applications and devices as ST iNEMO™, STEVALs & “STM32 X-Nucleo” fast prototyping ecosystem.
He was accountable also for automated road-tolling, asset tracking, RF & “Predictive Maintenance" Businesses.
Abbate has also established close collaborations with WW R&D centers and activated co-design Partnership with ST Key Customers.
He held industrial patents in Europe and the United States and is co-author of several scientific publications on Robotics, Industrial Automation, Human-Machine Interaction and Automobile.
He was Chairman of the Manufacturing & Robotics Working Group of the European Platform on Smart Systems EPOSS and one delegate for Italy at World Micromachine Summit.
From 2019 he is a member of Board of Directors and Vice President of Italian MiSE “Competence Center” ARTES 4.0.
Nunzio Abbate was born in 1969 in Catania, where he graduated in Electronic Engineering in 1995.