5 Key elements to a good lubrication program
Did you know? On average, the purchasing of lubricants represents a minimal part of your maintenance expenses. As a matter of fact, the activities linked to lubrication could possibly represent almost half of your maintenance expenses. It is therefore essential to have a good lubrication program.
Stop blindly lubricating your machine,
you can cause more damage than good to your equipment.
In order to obtain an optimal reliability and maximum benefits from a lubrication program, you need to take into account the fundamentals of lubrication for the equipment, The Basis is simple; It suffices to lubricate :
- The right point;
- With the right lubricant;
- With the right quantity;
- At the right time;
- With the right method!
1. The RIGHT lubrication point
During the evaluation of a lubrication program, the first step consists of identifying all the lubrication parts of your equipment. Each equipment has their own distinct lubrication chart recommended by the dealership or the maker. They are normally easily obtained by the dealership or maker.
Following the chart, it is impossible to forget a greasing point. This will allow you to identify the different characteristics of each point, The RIGHT lubricant with the RIGHT quantity at the RIGHT time!
2. The RIGHT lubricant
After identifying all the lubrication points, it is important to verify your choice of lubricant. Over 80% of equipment are lubricated with grease. Most companies use an all-purpose grease for their equipment. In certain cases this is acceptable, this application can incur waste of grease and can harm the productivity.
Most applications often require specialized grease in order to optimize their performance. Machines that are exposed to elevated temperatures or elevated pressures normally require special formulated greases in order to meet operational requirements. Specialized grease can often lengthen the intervals of lubrication and considerably reduce the consumption of grease.
Mixing certain greases could create a chemical reaction that can damage your equipment. It is therefore important to follow the makers’ recommendations
3. The RIGHT time
According to lubrication studies, the best practice is to lubricate frequently in small quantities, better then less often using a large quantity of lubricant. This practice can translate in an optimal performance of the machine.
The detailed lubrication chart of the equipment permits to easily identify the respectable greasing intervals.
4. The RIGHT quantity
The right quantity of lubricant distributed to each point plays a major role. To under lubricate or to over lubricate can have a negative effect and must be avoided.
Over lubricating leads to excessive pressure on the bearings. Over lubricating increases your expenses linked to an enormous waste of grease. On average, each dollar of lubricant purchased, the shop spends three dollars of expenses on lubricant waste. A good lubrication program permits to follow and control lubrication consumption and eliminate costs.
On the other hand, a prolonged deficiency of lubricant (under lubrication) can cause extreme wear of non-lubricated surfaces, thus causing a failure to the machine along with elevated repair costs.
A regular lubrication with the right quantity permits to maintain a film of grease on each point. This prevents contamination of your surfaces by sealing the interstice around each of them. This collar keeps out dust, sand, water and other contaminants. It also prevents impurities to create abrasive surfaces along with premature wear.
5. The RIGHT method
After determining the right method, there is a need to ask questions on several points:
- The global costs of production and maintenance.
- The environmental impact
- The health and safety of staff
- The level of maturity of the maintenance program (corrective, preventative, predictive, etc.)
Maintenance costs are directly linked to lubrication activities.
Besides the cost of lubricants, you will need to include the labor for the maintenance along with the hours of repairs for the defective part due to lack of lubrication.
Lubricating manually or automatic?
This is the question that should be asked. Often the best solution for a large fleet is combination of both based on the type of application, the location of the equipment and the resources available.
Lubricating manually is often used when greasing is required at lengthier intervals.
The technology of automatic lubrication, such as the unitary lubrication, Find to be used in places that are difficult to reach, dangerous areas, or areas that are impossible to lubricate manually.
With respect to automatic lubrication, it can be used on a variety of application. The most critical assets is equipment that requires more lubrication during a daily bases which makes them a primary target.
Conclusion
Finally it is important to know that a lack of grease, heavy loads, dust and water prematurely wears the moving parts. A good lubrication program whether be the choice (manually or automatic) will permit you to maximize the performance of your equipment and your staff.