Plant Services - February 2008 - (Page 46)

Lubrication Reliability the right time with the right lube in the right amount with no contamination. There’s no advantage to Clopay having personnel assigned full-time to walk a route with an oil can. Manual lubrication isn’t as effective as automatic lubrication for at least two reasons. In our plant, one can’t get to the many areas that need lubrication safely while the machine is in production. With manual lubrication, the chances are much greater for getting contamination into a bearing. Tips for beTTer auTolubing 5. Use only transparent tubing, to see the flow. 6. Always use compression fittings instead of fast-disconnect fittings, especially on oil-filled lubricators that can achieve 3,000 psi (Figure 3). Leaks are more likely with oil systems. Usually, you can use fast-disconnect fittings on lower-pressure grease units, such single-point lubricators and Figure 3. An oil-filled some battery-powered autolu- autoluber serving 18 bearings. bers (Figure 4 and Figure 5). We consider lubrication to be the backbone of all maintenance systems. We don’t believe that manually lubricating an idle machine will distribute the lube uniformly, whereas automated lubrication on an operating machine consumes less grease and distributes it more uniformly over the bearing surfaces. We considered what happens to a lubrication program when one of our lube routes is neglected because the technician assigned to it is on vacation or not available for some reason. Autolubers are always on the job. I’d think every plant out there can benefit from using autolubers on critical bearings. Figure 4. Single-point units on water pumps. 7. Install check valves on both ends of tubing used on oil-filled autolubers (Figure 6). 8. Always read the operating manual for an autoluber. You’ll learn the maximum tubing length that still allows sufficient bearing lubrication. You’ll learn whether there are certain greases and oils your device can’t handle. 9. Perform daily preventive maintenance checks on your autolubers. Figure 5. These oil-filled, singlepoint units can be filled in-house with the lubricant of choice, can be turned on and off, and have a three-sided sight glass. Tradeoffs As with anything, there’s a cost associated with purchasing and installing automated lubrication systems. You only have to calculate the cost of failed bearings, machine downtime, late product deliveries to customers and safety issues involved in replacing bearings ruined by improper lubrication to see that automated lubrication costs pennies compared to the expenses of replacing bearings, gearboxes, customers, production time and wasted product. At our facilities, the bottom line for our automated lubrication systems has been increased uptime, fewer gearbox purchases, fewer bearing purchases and the disappearance of many other lube-related failures. Figure 6. These are tubes filled with oil from an autoluber. Where there is human traffic and tubing needs to be run, cut a trench in the floor, install conduit and run tubing through it to prevent a trip hazard. Special considerations More resources at www.PlantServices.com/thismonth Autolube systems – “Centralized lubrication systems are a ‘must’” Lube simplification – “Rethinking lubrication management” Fundamentals – “Back-to-basics lubrication” Lube management – “Lubrication consolidation” Autolube systems – “Taking care of lubrication needs … automatically” Lube blockage – “Keeping the skids greased” Lube system case history – “You can have a world-class lubrication team” Lube behavior – “On wear and friction” For more, search www.PlantServices.com using the keywords bearing, grease and oil. Don’t let the term automated lubrication overwhelm you. The automatic systems we selected are reliable and userfriendly, but like any piece of equipment in your facility, they need technicians who are trained to troubleshoot them should they misbehave. Our plant developed standard operating practices for each type of autoluber, delineated routes showing where the autoluber is located, and published charts that show the type and amount of lubricant, as well as how to handle discarded lubricant. Finally, as one does for any piece of functioning equipment, we maintain a supply of spare units and component parts. Scotty Lippert is the planned maintenance technician and machinery lubrication specialist at Clopay Plastic Products Co., Augusta, Ky. Contact him at SLippert@clopay.com and (606) 756-2131, ext. 2309. 46 www.PLANTSERVICES.com February 2008 http://www.PlantServices.com/thismonth http://www.PlantServices.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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Plant Services - February 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works Asset Manager: Why Six Sigma? Technology Toolbox: Ensuring a Calm Response Cover Story: Best Practices Awards Lubricants: A Slick Success Story Motors: Reliable Torque Compressors: Before You Call for Help Web Hunter: Exploiting Intellectual Capital In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Fast Facts Energy Expert: Energy, Climate and Food

Plant Services - February 2008

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