High performance
May 1st 2005

Paul Schulha of Castrol Industrial argues that high performance lubricants provide real opportunities to optimise the effectiveness of production equipment

Astudy of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of machines breaks down machine time into `Six Big Losses’ – Quality Loss, Speed Loss, Defects in Process, Equipment Failure, Idling and Assists and Setup and Adjustment. Taking just one of these – Equipment Failure – an engineer tasked with minimising loss should look carefully at the impact of incorrect lubrication, which estimates suggest can account for 30% of equipment downtime in certain industries.

Castrol believes that lubrication in general and high performance lubricants in particular, can provide benefits far beyond equipment failure – we believe they can have a significant effect on at least the first four of the `Six Big Losses’! Lubrication is usually added to a long list of other tasks when maintenance is planned into the production schedule, because it is often the only opportunity to get access to equipment in order to change the oil and grease the bearings. However, lubrication deserves, and can justify, a much higher priority because it is a critical factor in the operation of any item of equipment. Ignoring for a moment the obvious consequences of no lubrication at all, the wrong lubricant, applied at the wrong time, in the wrong quantity and in the wrong place, can also cause premature component failure. Yet by planning maintenance tasks it is possible to increase machine uptime to levels significantly greater than those achieved through routine preventive maintenance.

With ‘Key Performance Indicators’ (KPIs) now being widely used to measure improvements in plant efficiency, performance lubricants can contribute by increasing the availability of equipment, reducing unplanned downtime, improving the quality of finished components and reducing costs and waste. They can have a significant impact on total plant efficiency, and therefore productivity.

When failures do happen it is not always obvious that lubrication may have been a contributing factor. This may be due to the lubricant itself, outdated or incorrect lubrication practices, or a lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of the importance of lubrication. For this reason, anyone involved in the application of lubricants should have a basic understanding of their function and a reasonable level of product knowledge.

It may be useful to define a performance lubricant and explain why its properties need to be matched to a particular application.

A performance lubricant improves the operation of equipment, reduces overall costs and/or delivers productivity improvements. Which means that it should be possible to measure a lubricant’s performance by relating it directly to KPIs.

Component Life Achieving a ‘component estimated fatigue life’ under a variety of operating conditions is difficult, if not impossible, although one certain way not to achieve life expectancy is through improper lubrication! Performance lubricants, matched to operating conditions, can minimise component wear and maximise life between repairs and replacement.

We demonstrated the effectiveness of performance lubricants to a company that was experiencing an average of twenty-eight cooler fan bearing failures annually. The failures had been a problem for so long that they were considered a normal operating condition! A change to Castrol Optimol Longtime PD2 eliminated the failures and reduced bearing operating temperatures by an average of 52°F. Bearing problems no longer affect production and failures are identified as unusual conditions. Total savings for the three years since the change to a performance lubricant, have been over £17 000.

Equipment Reliability Reliability can be improved by identifying the best performance lubricant for the operating conditions. Also, data from all component failures should be collected and analysed to help identify poor lubrication practices that may be contributing to failures Quality Improvements If operators notice a reduction in the quality, repeatability and/or tolerances of finished products, it may be the signal to change to a suitable performance lubricant.

Reducing Maintenance Tasks Specifying the correct performance lubricant can reduce unplanned maintenance tasks and allow fire-fighting to be replaced by pro-active activities such as re-engineering and improvement-related maintenance.

Optimised Labour Time The reliability and durability of performance lubricants means that machine operators spend less time on fault finding, repairs and paperwork, and have more time to concentrate on production.

Waste Reduction Using a performance lubricant designed for an application, will usually extend lubricant life and oil change periods, and therefore reduce volumes and disposal costs. Maintaining the lubricant in peak condition will also reduce contamination of finished products and help minimise manufacturing waste.

Increased Safety Operators can be at risk from component failures, and maintenance personnel risk injury when dismantling failed equipment – particularly in hazardous areas, at heights or in confined spaces. It is therefore essential that maintenance programmes address correct equipment lubrication, as this can make a major contribution to plant safety.

Improved Productivity and Profitability Correctly lubricated plant using properly specified performance lubricants will be more reliable, and therefore, more available to produce more components more efficiently. It will also use less power and run at lower temperatures, will vibrate less and be less noisy, and will keep running and cost less to maintain.

A leading gearbox manufacturer for example was using 220 gallons of conventional EP gear oil without a fluid monitoring programme in place, and was losing forty hours production per year at the annual oil change. Six years after switching to Castrol Tribol 1100-220 and implementing a fluid monitoring programme, the initial fill is still in place and has needed no maintenance. The savings in reduced consumption and labour, made by eliminating the annual 40-hour oil change, are estimated at £60,000 over the six-years.

To summarise, properly planned and executed lubrication is itself important enough to warrant priority attention because of its ability to increase productivity and reduce many of the machine problems that result in premature breakdowns.

Specifying performance lubricants can significantly enhance these benefits by further extending component and machine life and reducing maintenance and waste.

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