Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/147079
COVER STORY Once the list was finalized, an adhesive tag was placed at every lubrication point to identify which lubricant should be used for each piece of equipment. The team chose a lube code that would supply all the information about the specific lubricant without being brand specific. This eliminated the need to change out all the tags if there was a supplier change. Each lubricant was assigned its own specific color and shape. Written identification was included to account for color blindness. Controlling Particle Contamination With its new systems in place, the Nissan plant has achieved a 53-percent reduction in breakdown frequency and a 54-percent reduction in downtime. The next phase was to address particle contamination. Armed with the knowledge that new oil is not necessarily clean oil, the Nissan team implemented the use of filter carts when filling reservoirs with new oil. Old breathers were also removed and replaced with a setup that allows quick-connects to be used to hook up filter carts and desiccant breathers. This helped eliminate the chance of contaminants entering the system through the breather port. Another significant step in controlling particle contamination involved the use of top-off containers. The Nissan plant has thousands of small reservoirs and gearboxes that require small top-off containers for refilling. Sealed containers with colored tops were selected, with colors from the labels matched to offer another line of security when identifying the proper lubricant to be used. Care also had to be taken to not introduce contaminants when filling these containers. Bulk storage issues were considered as well. Nissan purchased a system that allows oil to be filtered when it is transferred from barrels to large containers. These containers are equipped with a desiccant breather. There is also a clean staging area in which the top-off containers can be filled while minimizing particle contamination exposure. The stamping plant has a unique open-lube system that exposes much of the equipment's vital parts to particle contamination. After thorough investigation, it was decided that the most costeffective way to control particle contamination was to use kidney-loop filtration. Due to the large capital investment this Training and Education The initial focus at the Nissan plant was on education and training. During the evaluation process, Crane realized that very few technicians had formal training in the lubrication field, so an outside instructor was brought in to provide MLT I training and certification testing. Additional training opportunities, including supplier-sponsored and online training, were also incorporated. Preventing Lubricant Cross-Contamination The next step was to address cross-contamination of lubricants, which had been identified as the root cause in past failures. Considering these failures and the challenges the influx of new technicians posed, it was apparent an identification process was needed for proper lubricant selection. The Nissan team developed a list of all lubricants used in the facility. They worked with their lubricant supplier and vendors to consolidate the list to as few lubricants as possible without jeopardizing the life of the equipment. This process provided several benefits including cost savings, storage space and fewer opportunities for mistakes. 10 | July - August 2013 | www.machinerylubrication.com After a thorough investigation, a kidney-loop system (left) was determined to be the most cost-effective way to control particle contamination at the plant. Nissan also purchased a bulk storage system (right) that allows oil to be filtered when it is transferred from barrels to large containers.