competence
Lubrication Management for Improved Corrugating Plant Reliability
The effectiveness of a plants Lubrication programme has a direct effect on maintenance costs and equipment reliability. A good lubrication “film thickness´ used in conjunction with “cleaner lubricating oil”, will reduce wear in bearings, gears and hydraulic systems, thereby extending uptime periods, lowering maintenance costs and contributing to plant profitability.
Root Cause Failure Analysis is the Evidence
A detailed evaluation of over 100 bearing failures or bearings that were replaced in a cardboard corrugating plant, revealed lubrication to be the dominant cause of the need for replacement.
The Causes
- Over 60% were lubrication related, i.e. wrong lube, contaminated lube, not enough or too much lube.
- 15% were poor maintenance related, i.e. incorrect fitting or adjustment, damage from fitting.
- 5% were ignorance related, i.e. wrong internal clearances, wrong type of bearing or wrong seals / shields.
- 15% were in good condition and were not needed to be changed
The over 60% lubrication related failures were then sorted into two categories, Inadequate Lubrication and
The Bearing is the Machine Rotating Center.The bearing is the rotating core of all machinery and when it is damaged or fails the machine reliability is effected and ultimately resulting in a machine stop. The simple fact of increasing bearing life will mean longer running machines or improved reliability and lower maintenance and operating costs.
As lubrication accounted for the majority of bearing failures in this corrugators plant and also supported by similar industry figures, provides sufficient reasons for focusing ones maintenance strategy and attention on a better lubrication strategy, if one want to improve equipment reliability.
By identifying the different types of damage and understanding the causes for each failure mode, efforts can be made to eliminate the future failure potential.
The following chart is a summary of the causes of the failures, along with how they can be detected and processes to eliminate them from reoccurring.
Inadequate Lubrication.
| Failure Reasons | How to Detect | Strategy Corrections |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong lubricants | Thermography | Improved lubrication strategy to stop mixing and ensure correct filling |
| Mixed Lubricants | Failure inspections | Improved lubrication selection |
| Lubrication starvation | Oil analysis | Training in lubrication |
| Over lubrication | Vibration analysis | Using lubrication systems |
Contamination
| Failure Reasons | How to Detect | Strategy Corrections |
|---|---|---|
| Contaminated Environment | Failure inspections | Improved lubrication strategy to stop mixing and ensure correct filling. |
| Contaminated lubricant | Oil analysis | Improved lubrication selection |
| Faulty or wrong seals | Vibration analysis | Training in lubrication |
| Component wear | Using lubrication systems |
What is a Good Lubrication Strategy? A “Best Practice” lubrication strategy that will reduce bearing failures consists of a number of key ingredients. These are:
1.Lubrication equipment and plant identification to reduce mixing, ensuring the right lube gets into the right machine every time.
2.Activity management to ensure that no point or machine goes without lubrication. This goes for both oils and greases. A dedicated lubrication software is recommended.
3.A process to check and refine the correct type of lube (specification) used in the machines. To be done by trained staff.
4.An oil cleanliness standard that will lower the overall plant contamination levels to reduce component wear. ISO 4406 is the recommended standard.
5.A clean and structured lube storage and dispensing area to bring prominence to the activity. This also includes filtering new oil before use.
6.A structured oil filtration programme to maintain the cleanliness standard.
7.Responsible staff that are also trained in understanding lubrication and oil analysis.
KPI’s to Measure Improvements.
Like all plant improvement initiatives Lubrication improvements also need the establishment of KPI’s (Key performance Indicators). Suggested KPI’s for a corrugator plant are as follows. 1.Annual bearing consumption level. (A good lube strategy will reduce the amount used)
2.Annual lubrication consumption level. (A good lube strategy will reduce the amount used)
3.Line stoppages due to rotating mechanical problems.
4.Oil contamination levels using ISO 4406 or NAS standards
5.Overall reductions of annual maintenance costs as a percentage of production levels
6.Overall key equipment vibration levels
Getting Started
The key to getting started with implementing a Good Lubrication Strategy, is to know where first to focus. It is the writer’s suggestion to invest first in to have a qualified lubrication specialists, make an assessment on current practices and levels along with a recommended plan.
An assessment can be as detailed as one taking two full days, to one taking only half and day. An alternative is a Self Assessment with following recommendations.
An Assessment snap shot is included below. Correctly answered this will give an overview of bearing and lube consumption and the effectiveness of the maintenance strategy or plan.
Best Practice Product Recommendations.
Lube Storage and Dispensing Rooms provide the core strategic influencer for a good lubrication strategy.
Bulk mobile filling units make large oil filling for Hydraulic systems and gearbox a simple and environmentally friendly task
The Oil Safe dispensing system puts organization and structure into your lubrication activity.
Label Safe makes sure that the right lube gets into the right machine.
Air Breathers stops airborne contaminants liker water dust and dirt from entering the lubrication oil.
Nyecorr 140 Corugator Roll Grease provides the best rolling element separation of all Corrugator Greases.
Lube It Software manages the complete lubrication activity, ensuring that the right amount of Lube gets into the right machine at the right time. The System can also support TPM and 5S activities.
Lube Assess is a lubrication Assessments providing information on how to establish a Best Practice lubrication strategy.
All Best Practice products can be obtained from ENCORRS BV.
Ian Knight
Enluse BV
