Asset Management / Life Cycle Cost

Preventive Maintenance

Why You Should Avoid Using Oil Funnels

“I have heard many different opinions as to whether funnels should be used for topping off an oil reservoir. Can you explain why funnels should or should not be used?” Across industry, it seems that if you are filling a machine or topping it off with oil, you will need to transfer the lubricant from a large container through a small fill port at the top of the machine. A funnel is designed to make this opening wider for adding oil. While funnels can make this task easier, they are not recommended because of their potential to introduce contaminants into the lubricant.

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Lubrication

3 Outlooks on What’s Trending and What’s Important in Industrial Lubrication and Oil Analysis

Machinery and Equipment MRO interviewed three oil and lubrication specialists to uncover industry trends that are important to suppliers and users alike. They were asked to consider factors that significantly influence decision-making on more easily protecting equipment, and to share insights on what’s new, what holds value and provides improvements, as well as what helps solve common problems.

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Preventive Maintenance

An Introduction to Machine Vibration

Vibration in industrial equipment can be both a sign and a source of trouble. Other times, vibration just “goes with the territory” as a normal part of machine operation, and should not cause undue concern. But how can the plant maintenance professional tell the difference between acceptable, normal vibration and the kind of vibration that requires immediate attention to service or replace troubled equipment?

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Lubrication

Safety Tips for Handling Petroleum Products

High-pressure injection injuries, also known as grease gun injuries, are caused by the accidental injection of a foreign material–such as grease, oil, or solvent under pressure–through the skin and into the underlying tissue. This is analogous to medical techniques used to administer immunization shots without a needle. A grease gun injury can cause serious delayed soft tissue damage and should be treated as a surgical emergency. Any person sustaining an injury of this sort should seek immediate medical attention, regardless of the appearance of the wound or its size. Accidents involving injection injuries can occur when using any type of pressurized equipment.

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Preventive Maintenance

From Screwdrivers to Testers: Vibration Testing and Analysis Comes of Age

Most machines have rotating parts and those rotating parts vibrate. Measuring how and how much those parts vibrate can tell you a lot about the health of a machine. Whether it’s the rumble of worn bearings or the shaking, shimmying, or thumping of loose, misaligned, or unbalanced parts, machines have a tale to tell those who are willing and able to listen.

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Preventive Maintenance

Acceleration Enveloping: Opening the Envelope on Bearing Vibration

A sophisticated signal processing technique can help to pinpoint bearing failure at an early stage. Chris Hansford, Managing Director at Hansford Sensors, explains. Experienced operators can often tell if a machine is not working properly, on the basis that is does not ‘sound right’. The same principle can be applied – using modern electronics – to identify the exact cause of the problem.

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Lubrication

How to Determine Lubricant Mixing

Unfortunately, there is not an easy way to tell if lubricants have been mixed unless they have vastly different viscosities, such as ISO 32 and ISO 680. The best solution would be to avoid this problem in the first place by having trained staff members and well-labeled/color-coded equipment. Using a different sealable and reusable container for each lubricant can help to prevent cross-contamination.

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Preventive Maintenance

Normalization of Deviance and the Perception of Defects

Ever walk into a room, look around and conclude that all is well. But then, someone picks up papers, a briefcase, or some other object from the floor, right where you were about to walk. You hadn’t seen it. Your vision is fine, so how could you have missed it? It makes you wonder how many other little things you missed in other places, too.

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