Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1399684
4 | July - August 2021 | www . machinerylubrication.com Multipurpose Does Not Mean All-Purpose Wes Cash | Noria Corporation Condition Monitoring, Lubricant Analysis & Troubleshooting LUBRICANT SELECTION Factor: S4M The term "consolida- tion" is very popular — especially when it comes to reducing the number of lubricants in an indus- trial facility. e thought is we can mitigate risks of accidentally using the wrong fluid by reducing the total number in storage. It's also possible to enhance our purchasing power by purchasing more of a specific lubricant than many obscure ones. Even more appealing is reducing the inventory levels of unique, one-off lubricants that may only be used in a very specific application. is process is underway at countless plants across the planet at any moment, some headed by a task force of plant personnel, others with the aid of outside consultants and lubricant suppliers. While consolidation efforts are necessary to save money and reduce accidents, grease is often the focus of overzealous consolidation. Most facilities look intimately at each oil-filled component to ensure the selected lubricant can meet the demands of the equipment and still be properly lubricated. Meanwhile, greased components are rarely scru- tinized, and grease consolidation is done heavy-handedly, often resulting in sub-optimum lubrication for many critical components. While a plant may be satisfied with an overall oil product reduction from 25 down to 15, we often find the same plant is not satisfied with grease consolidation until only two to five greases remain. Oils are uniquely formulated to handle certain stresses in operation from either the machine or the environment, so too are greases. It is generally understood that a machine operating in harsh environments may get a more premium formulated oil or even a synthetic option. We take that same machine and look at greases in use, and they are often a mismatch for those situations. Some of this issue comes from grease's dubious reputation as many do not know what it is made of or even how it operates. We know that greases are formulated with specific applications in mind and are made from the same base oil and addi- tives as lubricating oils, but many purchasers fall prey to the allure of the "multipurpose" grease. Once that label is applied to a grease product, Learn More: noria.com/ascend/ Factor: S4M — Consolidation and Optimization Level: Management and Training(M) Stage: Condition Monitoring, Lubricant Analysis and Troubleshooting About: Establishing a lubricant consolidation process of optimizing the number and types of lubricants used will assist in keeping up with ever-evolving lubrication requirements without affecting machine performance or security. More about this ASCEND ™ Factor