Course Description
Machinery Lubrication I (MLI) is a 3 days course that provides the foundational skillset for applying best lubrication practices and product knowledge. Through MLI, students can move away from the “old school” methods of vague, non-specific lubrication procedures and implement an excellent lubrication program in any industrial workplace.
MLI students gain much more than pointers on lubricating a machine – they learn proven industry methods for selecting, storing, filtering and testing lubricants to boost reliability and generate lasting results in machine efficiency/maintenance. They also gain better understanding of oil analysis, so they can align their efforts with those of maintenance professionals or oil analysis experts.
Level I Course Outline
How Lubrication Affects Machine Reliability
- Financial benefits from achieving lubrication excellence
- Four equipment maintenance strategies, and when each applies
- Important implementation steps to lubrication excellence
Lubrication Fundamentals
- Six important functions of lubricating oils
- How oils and greases are formulated and why it is important
- How friction is generated in lubricated machinery
- The importance of oil film thickness and critical clearances
Understanding Additives, Base Oils and Grease Thickeners
- How lubricant properties irreparably change
- Seven important physical properties of a base oil
- The importance of API’s five base oil categories
- What causes grease to dry out and 18 ways to prevent it
- How to detect the root causes of lubricant oxidation
- When to select one of the six most commonly used synthetic base oils
- How to use temperature to determine the right base oil for your machine
- How to select grease thickeners for your application
Lubricant Performance Properties
- Key additives that enhance lubricant performance
- Viscosity grades, measurement, and reporting
- Why Viscosity Index is important
- What causes oil viscosity to change and how to set monitoring limits
- Lubricant performance tests and reporting – what you need to know
- How water contamination generates other contaminants
- How to control and eliminate aeration problems
Food-grade and Environmentally-friendly Lubricants
- Important USDA requirements and government regulations for food-grade lubricants
- What you need to know about food-grade additives, base oils and grease thickeners
- Guidelines for food-grade lubricants
Lubricating Grease Application Methods
- How to protect against incompatible grease mixtures
- Advantages and disadvantages of centralized lubrication systems
- Best practices for greasing motor bearings
- How to control pressure when greasing bearings
- The unique problems caused by over-greasing – specific steps to eliminate
- 3 critical instructions to give your electric motor rebuild shop
- Comparing single- and multi-point lubrication options
- How to calculate greasing intervals and quantity
- Best practices for ultrasonic/sonic-based greasing
Lubricating Oil Application Methods
- Overview of oil lubrication methods and devices
- How to use oil mist and other automatic lubrication methods
- Using pressure spray methods for gearboxes
- Best practices for the maintenance of grease guns and fittings
- How to protect against problems caused by constant-level oilers
- Overview of single-point direct lubrication systems
Journal Bearing Lubricants
- The 8 most common journal bearing lubrication problems
- How to select journal bearing viscosity based on speed
Rolling-element Bearing Lubricants
- The nine critical factors affecting rolling-element bearing lubricant selection
- How to convert required operating temperature viscosity to ISO viscosity grades
Gear Lubricants
- 5 key requirements for gear oil
- How to select the best viscosity for a gear lubricant
- Best practice guidelines for storing spare gearboxes – lubrication matters!
- 10 conditions that may require synthetic gear lubricants
- Lubrication best practices for enclosed gears – a 12 point checklist
- Mastering the challenges of open gear lubrication
Automotive and Mobile Equipment Drive-line Lubricants
- How to read a motor oil label: what really matters
- The 6 critical objectives a motor oil must accomplish
- Understanding API service classifications for engine and gear oils
- The #1 reason automatic transmission fluids fail and how to protect against it
- Service classifications for automotive greases – how to select
- Extending engine life – surprising engine oil filter study results
Compressor Lubricants
- Steps you can take right now to combat compressor lubricant failure
- The most common compressor lubricant stressors
- When to use synthetic compressor lubricants and why
Steam and Gas Turbine Lubricants
- Why turbine/generator lubricants are the #1 contributor to forced outages
- Comparing steam and gas turbine oils – how they differ
- Checklist for best practice steam turbine lubrication
Hydraulic Fluids
- How to select the ideal hydraulic fluid viscosity for gear, vane and piston pumps
- Nine key hydraulic fluid requirements and why they matter
- Specific conditions that may require a synthetic hydraulic fluid
- Fire-resistant hydraulic fluids – what you need to know
- Hydraulic system maintenance best practices – 21 point checklist
Contamination Control
- Strategies for building reliability through contamination control
- The seven most destructive contaminants and how to control them
- Specific steps for managing a proactive lubricant maintenance program
- The ISO Solid Contaminant Code – understand it, track it
- 10 ways to get more mileage out of portable filter carts
- How dirt, metal particles and soot mechanically destroy machine surfaces
- Guidelines for controlling machine surface fatigue and extending machine life
- The #1 cause of machine wear and how to manage it
- How to set realistic cleanliness levels for lubricants
- Effective lubricant contamination control strategies for extending machine life
- 4 ways water contamination attacks lubricant additives
- How to set limits for water-in-oil contamination
- Managing the root causes of foam and aeration
- Best practices for excluding and removing contaminants
- The right way to control contamination in tanks and sumps
- How oil filters are rated
- Calculating the clean-up rate for portable filters
- Best practices for removing water contamination from oil
- The unique problems created by varnish – how to remove and stop it
Oil Drains, Flushing, and Reservoir Management
- How to optimize and extend oil change intervals
- Interval vs. condition-based oil changes – pros and cons
- Metrics for monitoring lubricant consumption
- Best practices for oil changes
- Know how and when to perform a flush
- The best procedures for oil draining and refilling
- How and when to use the bleed-and-feed strategy for extending oil drains
- Selecting the right cleaning and flushing procedures
Storing, Handling, and Managing Lubricants
- How to set up a world-class lube room
- How to know when to reject a new oil delivery
- How to optimize your lubricant selection and procurement process
- How to implement a lubricant consolidation program and select suppliers
- Used lubricant storage, handling, and disposal best practices
- Bulk lubricant storage do’s and don’ts
- Guidelines for storing and handling drums
- Lubricant dispensing options and what you must avoid
- Lubricant coding and identification systems – what works and what doesn’t
- Portable oil transfer and filter carts selection advice
- How and where to store oil transfer and filter carts
- Understanding and managing lubricant storage life
- Keeping grease fresh – best practices for storage
Design and Inspect for Lube Excellence
- World-class strategies for accessorizing equipment for lubrication excellence
- Seven critical accessories for lubricant inspection and sampling
- The right machine accessories for effective contamination control
Lubricant Failure
- Know the factors which contribute to lubricant failure
- Understand the thermal and oxidation process, its effects on lubricants and additives
- Identify common wear mechanism caused by debris.
- Recognize what causes lubricant degradation
- Recognize the byproducts of lubricant failure and wear debris
- Distinguish the specific test that measures the forms of lubricant degradation and wear debris monitoring
- Interpret data to set alarms and limits based upon test results
Used Oil Sampling and Analysis Fundamentals
- What oil analysis can tell you
- Types and categories of oil analysis
- Applications for oil analysis
- Overview of oil analysis tests
- Elements of a successful oil analysis program
- How clean should oil sample bottles be?
- How to find the best sampling locations
- Oil sampling valve and hardware recommendations
- A quick method for optimizing sampling intervals
- An oil sampling technique that ruins trending
- The importance of primary and secondary sampling points
- Advice for sampling hard-to-reach machines
- How to properly sample circulating systems
- Safe, effective high-pressure sampling from hydraulic systems
Essential Field Inspections
- 12 questions your oil filter will answer about your machine
- Visual inspections you can get big results from right now
- Quick tips for using scent, sound, and touch to inspect lubricants
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