Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/388231
40 | September - October 2014 | www.machinerylubrication.com ost facilities utilize some type of platform from which lubrication tasks are performed and docu- mented. The most common documentation for lubrication tasks is that of the PM. Unfortunately, many of these PMs fall short of fully describing the work that needs to be done or outlining the step-by-step instructions to be followed. Manufacturer Recommendations When asked how to maintain a piece of equipment, technicians usually reach for the equipment's operating manual. These original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recommendations provide a founda- tion for the lubrication requirements needed to maintain the machine, including oil change or regreasing intervals, a list of lube points, recommended lubricants, a cross-reference of brands and types of lubricants, storage practices and seal compatibility information. OEM recommendations are a good place to start when devel- oping a new procedure. They offer a baseline for which lubricant to put into the machine as well as how much and how often. The frequency may need to be adjusted slightly to meet unique oper- ating conditions or to match the lubricant to the ambient conditions i.e., lower viscosity for colder temperatures. Once this information is gathered from the maintenance manuals, the next step is to realize what it will take to complete the task. This should include the tools, items and detailed step-by-step instructions. Lubrication Accessories Contamination is the scourge of any lubricated system. Great strides have been made in the realm of equipment reliability through the advancement of contamination control accessories. Sold as aftermarket accessories for virtually all pieces of equipment, these devices should be taken into account during a procedure's design phase. For instance, consider a desiccant breather. If you have a pump operating in a high-humidity environment with a history of water problems in the oil, it would be a good idea to install a desic- cant breather to dry the air entering the system. Once the breather is installed, you not only will have to maintain the pump but also the breather. In creating procedures for this pump, there will need to be instructions for checking the pump's oil level, topping up the oil in the pump, changing the pump's oil, sampling the oil in the pump (if it is to be included in the plant's oil analysis program), inspecting the desiccant breather's condition and changing the breather (if warranted based on the inspection results). What may have started out as a single line in the pump's opera- tion manual as, "Change the oil after every 2,000 hours of operation," has now grown to a list of six different procedures for the same pump. Keep in mind that it isn't enough to develop procedures based only on what the OEM recommends. The targets and goals of the plant must also be incorporated. If a facility has target cleanliness goals for lubricants or internal processes that require the use of contamination control devices, it is imperative that the lubrication procedures be created with their use in mind. Documenting the procedure is paramount, as it provides the basis from which all lubrication technicians will be working. This is why the procedure must represent best practices. Documenting the Procedure Perhaps the biggest stumbling block when developing proce- dures is failing to document when lubrication tasks are performed. l u b r i c a t i o n P r o g r a m s We s ca sh | Nori a Corpor at ioN IN THE TRENCHES It isn't enough to develop procedures based only on what the OEM recommends. The targets and goals of the plant must also be incorporated. Creating Best-PrACtICe lUBrICAtIoN Procedures M