Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1316458
10 | November - December 2020 | www . machinerylubrication.com LUBRICANT SELECTION you are going to lubricate. e process should begin with a detailed survey of equipment and operating conditions. We need to understand the parameters of the machinery such as speed, load, operating temperature and contamina- tion likelihood. ese are all fundamental parameters, but other items are often overlooked, such as process contami- nants, internal coatings or seal materials, food grade or environmentally sensitive requirement and a host of others. To properly select the optimum lubricant, you will have to balance all the parameters discussed above with price and availability of the oil or grease. You also have to ensure that the chemical make-up of the lubricant lends itself to longevity and doesn't degrade or damage internal surfaces due to additive, thickener or base oil interferences within the machine. While the OEM typically recommends a lubricant initially, great care must be taken to ensure the recommendation is valid in your unique operating environ- ment. Often adjustments must be made in viscosity, base oil or even additive pack- ages based on the operational context of the equipment. Lubricant Supplier Selection (S2P) e relationship with your lubricant supplier is vital to ensuring the ongoing sustainability of your lubricant selection process. Choosing the correct lubricant supplier will enable you to have the proper lubricant, at the proper times, in the proper volumes, with the proper support. e supplier should be consulted with and involved in any performance or cleanli- ness guarantees that exist for incoming lubricants. We want to ensure the lubri- cant arriving at our facility is clean, defect free and is not cross-contaminated with other lubricants. e supplier should be able to support any technical issues iden- tified in the plant and provide lubricant analysis for any lubricant that is in use in critical machinery. While many organizations simply select their supplier based solely on price, the ideal selection criteria would be a weighted blend of several parameters. e supplier's logistics capabilities, supply chain, storage capability, delivery mech- anisms, troubleshooting, capacity and of course—price. Some additional items are crucial, especially for critical lubricants. Certificates of analysis for bulk lubri- cants and documented quality assurance standards are a good example of this. ese items should be documented and periodically reviewed and updated before selecting a new supplier. is will aid with future lubricant contracts and help formalize the supplier selection process. Also, a solid relationship with your lubri- cant supplier can aid in the next lifecycle of Reception and Storage. Lubricant Identification System (S3P) Lubricants can get accidenta lly mixed through several different steps of handling, storage, application or even deliver y. In order to mitigate any accidental cross contamination, a robust labeling system must be devel- oped and deployed throughout any facility. All things coming in contact with the lubricant should be labeled with the corresponding tag or code. e hallmarks of an excellent lubricant identification system would include the use of a generic code as well as the use of a unique color and shape for each lubricant. It is important to use generic codes and not product names because the product or supplier may change, which would then require the relabeling of the entire facility. e use of colors and shapes help with accuracy when selecting the proper lubricant from storage and throughout the application process. e system doesn't have to be complex. In fact, the simpler it is, the better. e end goal is to ensure the correct lubricant gets applied. ere are many options readily available for identifications with many of them aligning with standards such as ISO 6743 to aid in the grouping or defining of lubricants. A system like this would also make switching suppliers an easier exercise as the standardized code could be shared with potential suppliers for them to match to their products. Consolidation and Optimization (S4M) As stated earlier, OEMs will often recommend a lubricant for use in their equipment. If we simply purchased what was recommended, our storeroom would be full of lubricants that may get used very infrequently. e same would be true if we selected a lubricant based upon engineering calculations for each specific point. ere has to be a balance between the needs of the equipment, the ability of the lubricant and the number of lubricants in your facility. e goal of optimization and consolidation is to minimize the number of lubricants in use and select the ones that will provide the best protection and lifespan for your equipment. We want to use as few lubricants as possible to minimize the risk of cross-con- tamination, improve our storage ability and decrease the volume of lubricant that may go stale in storage. Typically, savings associated with consolidation are signif- icant and can be used to fund ongoing improvements for the lubrication program as a whole. Diligence and care must be taken during consolidation efforts to ensure lubricants aren't over-consolidated which may lead to the use of a non-quali- fied lubricant in an application. is also requires ongoing oversight as new equip-