Processing, July 2019

Are easier to store in compliance with safety regulations In food packaging or production facilities managers should look for lubricants that are both food safe and able to fulfill all their other needs as well You dont need 10 di erent lubricants if one can do the job and holds an NSF H1 rating food grade lubricant 2 Have you done cost comparisons on your lubricants Cost comparisons can seem daunting for those who really dont like math But they arent nearly as bad as they seem Once you have the numbers in black and white you can make more intelligent decisions For example many production facilities use the cheapest lubricant they can get away with in the mistaken belief that theyre saving money Mineral oil is a common example Retailing for roughly 10 a gallon its cheap its food safe and it is an oil so it must be a good lubricant right Wrong Consider how much more mineral oil you need to use because it drips everywhere how ine cient it is at preventing chain elongation because it collects particles and forms the dreaded abrasive paste that hastens pin and bushing wear and how unsafe it is because it drips constantly and puddles on the oor Now compare that to a lubricant that doesnt drip and wont collect particles It may cost more than 300 a gallon and to the untrained eye that seems like nothing more than a rip o But consider the following factors e expensive lube lasts many times longer It greatly extends chain and bearing life therefore you are also saving on repair and replacement costs for those and similar items Downtime is either greatly reduced or eliminated altogether and there isnt a company in the world that can a ord the cost and inconvenience of downtime It is important to know the rate at which your lubricants are dispensed so that you can make accurate predictions of consumption Dont just make assumptions based on price tags Write down the numbers and compare them side by side How much are you spending every month on cheap lube chain and bearing replacements labor and downtime Now how much would that higherquality lube really cost if you subtracted the cost of labor parts and downtime 3 Do you own handheld calibration tools You dont need a lot of fancy sensors or expensive software to check on how close your machines are to needing lubricant Numerous handheld devices exist that can be used on multiple machines throughout a facility ey measure vibration through built in sensors and microphones and offer immediate visual feedback based on how loudly the machine is running As more lubricant is pumped in the vibration pitch and frequency will change and the device will immediately re ect that in its feedback ese handheld devices are an excellent low cost investment for a smaller facility where buying an expensive network of sensors and the accompanying software is not an option 4 Do you know how much your grease guns produce per squeeze Not only is every type of grease gun a little different but different lubricant tubes produce different amounts Heres a simple test you should perform on all your guns 1 Put a rain measuring gauge or similar volumetric measuring gauge on a scale 2 Zero it out 3 Pump the gun into it 10 times 4 Use a at ended object to pack the grease down and make sure its level 5 Divide both the weight and the volume by 10 Now you know how much that gun gives per shot in terms of both weight and volume Why is this information important Because Over lubricating is just as dangerous as under lubricating It is important to know the rate at which your lubricants are dispensed so that you can make accurate predictions of consumption 5 Is your OEM lubricant recommendation still current Its worth checking on your OEM lubricant recommendation especially if your equipment is several years old Manufacturers dont always inform existing clients of changes to lubricant recommendations Its worth the time to go back and look at the OEM documentation to clarify what they recommend using because sometimes what it says to use is very general If you have your eye on a new lubricant but arent sure what the manufacturer will say call them and ask ey might say your warranty is still covered and then youve got the all clear By implementing these steps the savvy manager will almost certainly end up saving plant or building owners noticeable amounts of money within a couple of months Predictive maintenance is for everyone and lubrication is a major part of it References 1 https iot analytics com top 20 companiesenabling predictive maintenance 2 https interflonusa com 3 causes of chainstretch and how to prevent it William Bill Kowalski is the director of online operations for Inter on USA Inc You can write to him at wkowalski@ inter on com and visit him online at https inter onusa com Inter on USA Inc www inter onusa com JULY 2019 www processingmagazine com 15 Courtesy of Inter on USA Inc