www.machinerylubrication.com | November - December 2022 | 29
pion to ensure the buy-in of all personnel into the program. If using
an offsite lab is a requirement, share the results from the lab with all
stakeholders and post the results in a conspicuous area to make the
program's successes and failures visible, allowing for a more honest
exchange of thoughts and ideas.
USING BOTH METHODS
It is important to point out that this decision doesn't have to be an
all-or-none approach. Following our logic of the optimum reference
state, the ideal solution may be some arrangement where we are reliant
on both options. Sometimes that could look like the following:
• Use quick onsite tests to screen new lubricants or even in-service
lubricants to determine if they need to be sent to a commercial lab
for further or more in-depth testing.
• Get all stakeholders and employees involved in the analysis
program trained in what tests tell you, how to interpret the results
and how to ensure that practices in the field don't skew the data.
• With the rise of oil analysis sensor technology, there is an opportu
-
nity to include real-time data with periodic analysis. is can help
focus the corrective actions and provide a better understanding of
how the equipment is actually working.
By blending the best of both onsite and offsite analysis, we can
improve the reliability of our equipment and ultimately be able to
achieve the "do more with less" approach that is becoming the norm.
About the Author
Wes Cash is the Vice President of Services for Noria
Corporation. He serves as a senior technical consul-
tant for Lubrication Program Development projects
and as a senior instructor for Noria's Oil Analysis I and Machinery
Lubrication I and II training courses. He holds a Machinery Lubrica-
tion Engineer ((MLE) certification, a Machine Lubrication Technician
(MLT) Level II certification and a Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA)
Level III certification through the International Council for Machinery
Lubrication (ICML). Contact Wes at wcash@noria.com
.
TIE
ML
ML ML
