Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/902206
10 | November - December 2017 | www . machinerylubrication.com regardless of its age. However, early, reliability- focused investments to build a lubrication program that works and to accessorize equip- ment for lubrication excellence will compound over time and maximize your returns. 24. Understand Wear Modes It is estimated that 70 percent of machines are removed from service due to degrada- tion of mechanical surfaces. Degradation may occur as a result of abrasive, adhesive, erosive, corrosive or fatigue-induced wear. A clear understanding of how these wear modes develop will assist the lubrication technician in understanding the importance of his/her role in improving machine reliability. 25. Make Oil Filters Last Longer Oil filters last longer when they don't get plugged with particles. erefore, the best strategy comes from working backward by tracing the particle ingression pathway. 26. The Key to Lubrication Program Success While there are a number of excellent companies that offer outstanding products and services to support precision lubrication, it is the people — and more importantly their attitudes and the pervasive culture within the plant — which will do more to help the success or failure of the lubrication program than any other single factor. 27. Select the Right Lubricant Selecting the proper lubricant is important to sharply reduce long-term costs. e best-fit product selection can mean longer lubricant life, reduced machine wear, reduced incipient power losses and improved safety. 28. Keep It Simple Excellence in lubrication is a simple concept. It is about getting the right lubricant in the right place at the right time, making sure that lubricant is supplied in the right quantity and ensuring the lubricant is kept clean, dry and cool. 29. Follow Manufacturer Instructions When relubricating electric motor bear- ings, always follow the motor manufacturer's specific instructions and do not use any lubricants other than those approved by the manufacturer. 30. Paying for Performance Properly selected high-performance lubri- cants may create cost reductions many times greater than the price differential between the product types. Selecting a performance option should be based on the effect derived from a carefully engineered change, with the expected results calculated into commonly accepted financial terms. 31. Don't Blame the Lubricant e universal panacea to a real or perceived lubrication failure is to blame the lubricant. Naively, we go looking for a better lubricant, when in actuality it may simply be how lubri- cation is performed that is at fault. 32. The Value of Oil Analysis If used correctly, oil analysis can be a valuable predictive and proactive diagnostics tool. If used incorrectly, it can be a frustrating exercise in futility. 33. Match the Lubricant to the Application Selecting lubricants for industrial gearing is similar in most applications. To identify the best choice for a given application, the right viscosity, base oil and type of lubricant must be selected and the appropriate performance properties evaluated. 34. Knowledge Is Power When decisions are made to make improve- ments to your lubrication program, it is crucial that you decide what knowledge and to whom it must be disseminated to facilitate and ensure the quality of implementation and execution of these items. 35. The Importance of Proper Sampling Without proper sampling methods, the value of oil analysis will be lost or severely diminished. e problem often lies in incon- sistent and invalid data. Unless you can take consistent, repeatable samples, it is impossible to establish useful alarms levels. 25 32 COVER STORY - 100 th ISSUE