Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1399684
instantly know if you are short on supplies or if something is missing. Not only that, but storage cabinets help us achieve the whole "clean, cool and dry" aspect that we are always trying to accomplish with our lubricants. I have rarely been in any manu- facturing environment that wasn't fighting off dust at the least, and these cabinets give us that clean place for our lubricants and equipment to live. 4. Working surfaces I have walked into so many "lube rooms" where there was absolutely no place to perform required tasks. A lube room should be more like a lubrication-centric maintenance bay/store area. Just having a place to shove our lubricants isn't enough; we need a place to get work done in a clean environment. Filling the bowls for constant level oilers isn't something that should be done on the manufacturing floor — you need a designated place to do it, and you need a working surface to do it on. How about a place for a computer? We need to track our PMs, make notes, order supplies, research products and all sorts of other things. Making the lube room a real working location with storage and working surfaces will save significant time in the long run and let you do your job better and faster. 5. Headspace Management Proper headspace management on equipment is one thing, but we need to make sure that our oils are kept safe the entire time they are with us. is starts with the initial storage. Desiccant breathers are an easy way to ensure we are doing our part to prevent particle and mois- ture ingression while those lubricants are sitting in their temporary storage. If you have large bulk storage containers and go through a lot of oil, take it a bit further and get desiccant breathers with the check valves in them. ey might cost 25% more than the cheap ones, but they are going to last you twice as long. I won't sugarcoat it — building a world-class lube storage room is a hefty investment of time and resources. Depending on your plant's unique situation (budget, facilities, crew, etc.), it can take anywhere from a month to an entire year. However, those who are able to commit to improvement and implement all the above will gain measurable results in the form of cleaner oil, greater efficiency and a more robust workplace culture. ML About the Author Jeremie Edwards is an A s s o c i ate Te c h n ic a l Consultant at Noria Corporation. He is one of an elite few certified by the Interna- tional Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) as a Machinery Lubrication Engi- neer (MLE) and did so in order to become the best advisor for clients when it comes to their continuing education needs. Before joining Noria, Jeremie served six years in the U.S. Army as a parachute rigger and was deployed in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Germany. ML www.machinerylubrication.com | July - August 2021 | 15