Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1103301
40 | March - April 2019 | www . machinerylubrication.com IN THE TRENCHES been rebuilt and offering a shorthand account of what was done or where to find information regarding the rebuild. Working with the shop to create an efficient process for performing and documenting each rebuild will be key to knowing which replacement parts have been installed in your equipment. When I serviced compressors, the work usually was completed after an equipment break- down. e goal was to get it operating again as quickly as possible. is frequently led to corners being cut and broken parts being replaced with ones that weren't quite the same as the originals. When the machine would break down again, another technician might replace the part with something slightly different. is often resulted in a significant deviation from what the manu- facturer intended or what was required for the machine to run at its peak efficiency. e same thing can happen when bearings are replaced. Although changing certain bearings or their configurations may produce some improvements, if it is done in a silo with no information dissemi- nated to the rest of the organization, it can cause problems in the machine. Replacement parts should be documented on a work order and recorded in the CMMS. While you likely won't want to update a bill of mate- rials for a piece of equipment if you can't use the original parts, there should at least be some notes regarding whether a part has changed and why. is will require diligence by all parties involved. ese documents have largely been converted to electronic forms, so it is much easier to get the information into the hands of the people who need it. Finally, if you replace a bearing with one that doesn't require periodic relubrication, you can ensure greasing will not create an issue by replacing the grease fittings. is can be achieved during a rebuild and will involve pulling the current fitting and replacing it with a plug. Not only will this reduce the risk of someone applying grease where it isn't needed, but it can also be used by both in-house and contracted teams alike. With some attention and effort, you won't have to play a guessing game to know which bearings are inside your equipment and what that means to your organization. By doing a little homework, you can unlock a wide array of information to improve your lubrication program as well as your overall reliability. 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 certification and a Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) Level III certification through the Inter- national Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML). Contact Wes at wcash@noria.com to learn how Noria can help you determine the best way to lubricate the bearings in your machines. 55% of lubrication professionals can read a bearing number and understand what infor- mation it indicates, based on a recent survey at Machinery- Lubrication.com SKF Bearing Numbers Visit us at Booth #516