Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance can significantly improve the efficiency of any industrial process. By analyzing oil samples on a regular basis, technicians can monitor the condition of machinery and predict potential issues before they occur. This allows for planned maintenance, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
If you’re looking for new ways to maximize uptime, you might want to learn more about Industrial Internet of Things and how it can help in preventing machine breakdowns.
There’s no better tool than oil analysis for predicting and preventing problems and optimizing machine performance. However, to understand what is really happening, you should consider multiple inputs involving your processes, practices, personnel, and application of the lubricant.
The past few years have been a challenge in obtaining the necessary lubricants to maintain equipment. Because of this, it becomes increasingly important to optimize lubricants in use and currently in inventory to prevent depletion. By making a few adjustments to your processes you can preserve lubricant condition and improve longevity.
The Journey of the Lubricant® is a series of stages, segregating your lubricant management program into 5 sequential steps during your lubricant's life on-site. Within these stages, dimensional sampling and oil analysis is key to maintaining the health of your lubricant.
Focusing on wear particles as part of your oil analysis program is key in preventing equipment failure. However, when it comes to wear particle detection and analysis, there are a number of test methods available. Become familiar with each test and when it is appropriate to use them.
A true representative sample is a key first step in obtaining quality information from your oil analysis program. Obtaining those samples with consistency and ease can be done with the installation of pitot tubes. But how do you properly install them?
Implementing a color-coding system into your lubrication program is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to prevent adding the wrong lubricant to your equipment and preventing cross-contamination. Learn how to incorporate color into each stage of the Journey of the Lubricant® in this article.
One of the most important aspects of an oil analysis program is the sampling of the oil. The method and tools used to take an oil sample will dictate how informative the oil sample will be and, subsequently, how beneficial the results will be.
If your plant has problems with maintaining the quality of lubricant – and based on our data, we bet it does – you might want to review this article on properly protecting your equipment.
