lgdimaggio/predictive-maintenance-mcp/documentation-search

Documentation Search

Search and extract information from machine manuals, bearing catalogs, and technical datasheets using RAG-based retrieval (FAISS + TF-IDF) and structured document parsing.

Prerequisite: The predictive-maintenance-mcp MCP server must be connected.

Core Operations

List Available Documentation

Call list_machine_manuals() to see all manuals and catalogs available in the resources/ directory (PDF, TXT formats), with their file names.

Search Across All Documents (RAG)

Call search_documentation(query="bearing replacement procedure", top_k=5) for semantic search across all indexed documents.

• query: natural-language search (e.g. "maximum vibration limits")
• top_k: number of passages to return (default 5)
• force_reindex: set True only if documents changed since the last search

Read Manual Excerpts

Call read_manual_excerpt(file_name="test_pump_manual.pdf", max_pages=10) to read the first pages of a manual (up to max_pages). Use the file_name exactly as returned by list_machine_manuals.

Extract Machine Specifications

Call extract_manual_specs(file_name="test_pump_manual.pdf") to pull structured data from a manual:

• Bearing designations and types
• Power ratings and RPM ranges
• Vibration limits
• Maintenance intervals

Look Up a Bearing in the Catalog

Call search_bearing_catalog(bearing_id="6205").

• Accepts designations like "6205" or "SKF 6205-2RS" (prefixes resolved)
• Returns verified geometry (number of balls, ball diameter, pitch diameter,

contact angle) WITH its source citation, plus fault-frequency multipliers (BPFO/BPFI/BSF/FTF per unit of shaft speed)

• The catalog contains only entries with physically valid, source-traced

geometry. A miss returns a structured "not found" result with a suggestion — never invented geometry. In that case ask the user for the geometry and use calculate_bearing_characteristic_frequencies(num_balls=9, ball_diameter_mm=7.94, pitch_diameter_mm=39.04, contact_angle_deg=0.0, rpm=1797).

Typical Workflows

"What bearing is installed in this machine?"

1. list_machine_manuals() to find the relevant manual
2. extract_manual_specs(file_name="<manual>.pdf") to pull bearing designations
3. search_bearing_catalog(bearing_id="<designation>") for verified geometry

"Find the vibration limits for this equipment"

1. search_documentation(query="vibration limits <machine name>")
2. If insufficient, read_manual_excerpt(file_name="<manual>.pdf", max_pages=10)

"Look up bearing 6205 and check the signal against it"

1. search_bearing_catalog(bearing_id="6205") — geometry + frequency multipliers
2. check_bearing_faults(signal_id="<id>", rpm=1797, bearing_id="6205") —

computes BPFO/BPFI/BSF/FTF at the given RPM and matches them against the signal's envelope spectrum in one call

Important Notes

• The RAG index is built on first search and cached for later queries
• PDF extraction quality depends on document formatting
• The bearing catalog is deliberately small and verified — every entry has a

source field. Uncommon bearings need user-provided geometry; the tools will say so rather than guess

• Documentation findings inform the engineer's decision — verify critical

specs against the physical nameplate when possible

• All documents are processed locally — no data leaves the machine