Should I use a synthetic oil in my equipment or just stick to mineral?
Check with your OEM first.
There are some OEMs that require a synthetic to be used but others that prefer mineral oils.
Typically, a synthetic oil (in industrial applications) tends to have longer operating hours compared to that of a mineral oil.
As such, lots of companies prefer to use synthetic oils as it leads to cost savings in the long term.
However, there are times when mineral oils are more cost effective.
For instance, if the component has to undergo maintenance (where the oil has to be drained) every 500 hours then it would not make sense to have a more expensive oil that lasts for 2000hours.
Before choosing whether mineral or synthetic, we need to do a cost benefit analysis of using both and then make an informed decision. If we can see savings by switching to a synthetic (such as energy, fuel or manpower savings) then this is definitely the way to go.