Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1061099
36 | November - December 2018 | www . machinerylubrication.com components, you control many other factors that can provide an indication of success. e workload will vary greatly depending on the mindset of the individual or organization. Reactive Oiling Oil is often manually applied from a top-up container or aerosol can based on an abnormal inspection result, such as a sight glass showing a low oil level or a chain that appears dry. Action must be taken imme- diately in these cases to ensure no lasting da ma ge occurs. Wit h spla sh-lubric ated machines, an oil level that is too low can have catastrophic effects. This also would apply to changing the oil only after it has long exceeded its service life. Preventive Oiling Changing your oil based on a time period or operational interval is common for most non-critical or small-volume machines, but it can lead to replacing oil that is still good or going far too long between oil changes. is can be wasteful both in terms of manpower and lubricant. Predictive Oiling Using oil analysis to identify the proper oil change interval is the best approach for large oil volumes and critical machines. When an oil sample is tested, you can distinguish many of its characteristics and determine whether it should remain in service and how much more life it may have. is greatly improves your deci- sion-making ability and can minimize the impact of a lubricant failure by plan- ning for a shutdown or switching to an auxiliary machine. Proactive Oiling To be proactive when oiling a machine, you must eliminate the root causes of failure. is is accomplished by ensuring the proper oil is applied and that it is clean and defect-free. Your storage and handling practices should be examined and improved to make certain that lubricants are as clean as possible when they reach the machine. is includes fi ltering the oil prior to service and using transfer containers that can be hermetically sealed. ese practices will reduce the number of failures experienced at your plant. Don't Overlook Inspections Inspections are often overlooked as the foundation of a world-class lubrication program. Personnel who walk by machines every day are the greatest source of information to drive your program forward. While I've outlined various ways to use the results of inspections to make better lubrication decisions, greater emphasis must be placed on the inspections themselves. Just having a checklist or making simple rounds is not enough. Dig deeper into what you notice about the machine, sight glass or breather. is will be an extremely valuable activity that will bear fruit in all aspects of maintenance, regard- less of the philosophy employed. ML About the Author Wes Cash is the director of technical services for Noria Corporation. He serves as a senior technical consultant for Lubrication Program Development projects and as a senior instructor for Noria's Oil Analysis II and Machinery Lubrication I and II training courses. Wes holds a Machine Lubrication Technician (MLT) Level II certifi cation and a Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level III certifi cation through the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML). Contact Wes at wcash@noria.com to learn how Noria can help you transition from reactive mainte- nance to proactive maintenance practices. IN THE TRENCHES START YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION www.machinerylubrication.com