Any maintenance plan should include machine lubrication, since it has the potential to provide a large return on the investment in materials and equipment. What is lubrication of equipment? It is the process of injecting a lubricant mostly typically oil into mechanical parts in order to accomplish a number of objectives.
What are lubricants and why do you need them?
Lubricants are a byproduct of crude oil. They are available to you in the form of a liquid. The main objective on why you would need lubricants would be to reduce the total amount of friction. On the other hand, you will be able to use lubricants in order to reduce component and operational temperatures as well. People can also think about using lubricants in order to remove debris as well as pollutants without encountering a major challenge.
Lubrication is required for all moving elements of a machine that come into contact with one another. Rotating parts and components, such as gears, are the most common. The purpose of machine lubricant is to prevent:
- Components are subjected to excessive wear and tear.
- Components that fail too soon
- Unprecedented amounts of unscheduled maintenance
- Overheating of the equipment
- Seizure in part
In this article, we’ll go over machine lubricants, their functions, the advantages they may give, and how they can assist you.
Why should you use lubricants on machinery?
Lubricant and Oil supplier – Sinopeconline told us that there are two common misconceptions regarding lubricating machinery: It is a straightforward operation, and it is optional or “as-needed.” Both are untrue. While lubrication is a basic notion, it is a technological process which must be studied and handled as such in order to reap the best advantages. Lubrication should be included as part of any thorough maintenance program. When both viewpoints are acknowledged, a lubrication plan may deliver a significant return on investment in terms of uptime, equipment life, component quality, and other factors.
These are some of the roles:
- Part wear reduction: Contact points deteriorate when parts move against each other. Lubrication protects against this kind of wear.
- Shock absorption: Lubricant can lessen the impact and effect of shock and vibration on components, decreasing wear even further while ensuring correct, consistent performance.
- Corrosion prevention: Lubricants protect metal surfaces from corrosion-causing environmental factors.
- Moving trash and pollutants away from moving components: Moving parts degrade when they come into touch with each other. The debris that forms as a result of this might generate even more friction and erosion. Lubrication prevents additional harm by transporting these little (and big) impurities away from moving components.
- Frictional heat reduction: As previously stated, these are the fundamental roles of lubrication and should be emphasized. Machinery lubrication may minimize wear and tear, lessen the possibilities of serious component or device damage, and enhance equipment performance, such as improved uptime and fewer maintenance, by lowering friction forces and the heat they create.
What are the Ingredients in Lubricants?
Oil is used to make lubricants. Mineral oil (derived from crude oil) or synthetic oil are often used in manufacturing or industrial equipment. One of the lubrication misconceptions takes root in this area: that lubrication is just the application of a lubricant.
In reality, there are several possibilities for lubrication, not only in terms of mineral or synthetic oil, but also in terms of formulation. There are several formulation alternatives available, based on the kind of equipment, operating environment, application, and use, among other factors.
What Machines Do You Need to Lubricate?
Lubrication is beneficial to any equipment that has rotating or moving elements that come into touch with one another. Gears, rotors, stators, and other components are among them.
When Is Lubrication Necessary?
As part of an overall maintenance strategy, lubrication should be done on a regular and periodic basis. Lubricant checks should be part of a standard preventive maintenance checklist so that a part can be replaced before it wears out. The schedule could be based on usage and wear patterns, but in overall, lubricant checks ought to be part of a standard routine maintenance checklist so that a portion can be replaced before it wears out. Lubrication is also recommended following the installation of new gear or components, or after substantial maintenance and repairs.
What re the benefits of using lubricants?
There are multiple benefits that you can experience with the use of lubricants. Here are some of the key benefits out of them that you can experience.
Longer component or equipment service life
Lubrication helps equipment and components to stay in an optimum operating condition for longer periods of time by minimizing friction and heat — and hence wear and strain. The duration between failure and replacement needs will be prolonged by assisting components to stay whole and closer to their “out of the box” shape, enhancing OEE and lowering overall costs.
Maintenance requirements are reduced
With less wear and tear, the chances of a breakdown are reduced. Parts that operate with a lot of friction and heat are prone to failure and collapse at any moment, regardless of how old they are. Proper lubricant keeps equipment running at a safe temperature and friction level, greatly minimizing the likelihood of unplanned repair.
Higher component quality
Lubrication enables for more consistent operation by absorbing stress and vibration and ensuring that equipment runs as it should. This correlates to improved component manufacturing repeatability and quality, resulting in fewer rejections and greater productivity yield.
Safer activities
Any time equipment operates at a high level of heat and vibration — as is the case with unlubricated or inadequately oiled equipment — there is a risk of catastrophic failure, which may put equipment operators and other personnel in danger. A safe working environment requires proper lubrication.
Final words
Now you are aware about the important role played by lubricants. You can go ahead and get the most out of lubricants available out there to experience the benefits that come on your way. Make sure that you use the right lubricant as per your needs as well.
