Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1148092
10 | July - August 2019 | www . machinerylubrication.com COVER STORY With one production line's performance increasingly successful, an eff ort was made to spread the success to each of the remaining production lines. A iken's performa nce continued to languish until a personnel change was made. With the restrictions removed, we knew what needed to be done and went about it. We consolidated our grease selection from nine to three, one each for motors, bearings and couplings. May 2016 marked the offi cial start of the plant's lubri- cation program. Lubrication Goes Live As the Aiken facility saw its bearing failures decline, management took notice. When it became apparent that capital money may soon be available, the plant developed a plan to upgrade the lubrication storage room. Our primary goals were to simplify lubricant storage and dispensing while cleaning and maintaining the oil to a higher standard. In the meantime, we consolidated oils and cleaned the lube room, reducing choices from 18 to nine. is was a good time to consolidate suppliers, and so we did. Funds became available in September 2016. We purchased the equipment, and in December, the lube room was constructed. Color-coded tags labeled the oil storage tanks, dispensing bottles and machines. Desiccant breathers were installed on tank vents to dry and minimize atmospheric contaminants. Each lubricant has its own dedicated pump and 3-micron fi lter, allowing the oil to be fi ltered at least three times before being dispensed to the machine. We established a policy of maintaining minimum oil quantities. is policy works to ensure suffi cient oils are in-house in case of a machine failure. Recently, a leak in a hydraulic hose caused a loss of fl uid on one of the larger machines. Repairs were made, and the machine refi lled without the need for an oil substitution. To date, this practice has protected Aiken's lubrication excellence program on two occasions. Policies and Procedures Set Standards Detailed operational procedures have been written for the storage systems. e procedures are posted and ready for immediate use. A mission and vision statement was developed that captured our goals for the program. HVAC: A Safety Need The lube room was constructed in December 2016. In January, we discovered that moving ISO 460 oil at 48 degrees builds excessive pressure, twice blowing out the oil fi lter's seal. at day, we learned that a lube room should be conditioned. Our best solution was a mini-split. ese heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are small, effi cient and cost-eff ective. An added benefi t is that the room is conditioned in the hot and humid summers of South Carolina. Air condi- tioning also dehumidifi es, which is great for the life of our oils. Details Matter e diff erence between a good and a great lubrication program is in the details. Our grease guns are tagged with labels indicating which grease is to be used in each gun. In addition, the label's color matches the color of the grease. e grease guns are also metered. is feature is used in conjunction with the facility's lubri- cation matrices, which are a set of documents outlining every lubrication point in the plant. Broaden Buy-in and Further Investment During our journey to lubrication excel- lence, we experienced some resistance to change. e technicians had heard several times that "change is coming." One technician described staff turnover as "wash, rinse, repeat." At some point, our technicians became calloused. For them, believing would only occur after seeing. Once the lube storage room was set up, several lubrication training sessions were held, complete with a hands-on portion. e training generated numerous questions and several "aha" moments. With a lube room in place and our ignorance exposed, Aiken had gained the needed catalyst to start a culture change. Expansion Of course, a lubrication program is more than just a room. e program needs to touch The initial makeshift lube room at the Owens Corning facility was far from world class. The upgraded lube room has a dedicated pump and fi lter for each lubricant.