Blog
Obtaining my MLT I & II certifications
The MLT (Machinery Lubrication Technician) exams are developed by ICML (International Council for Machinery Lubrication) and is seen as the entry level certification for......
SRSL Stories
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Varnish Badges of Honour
Varnish is widely known as a primary culprit of equipment failure. This sticky enemy effectively finds its way into most of our equipment and......
Food Grade Lubricants
If you’ve ever dealt with food grade lubricants in the past, you would have noticed that not all food grade lubricants are made to......
FZG Ratings
Q: What does FZG mean and why do gear oils have a rating? FZG stands for “Forschungsstelle für Zahnräder und Getriebebau”, Technische Universität München (Gear......
Flender Specs
Q: Why should I use a Flender spec oil? A lot of users ask about the need to use a Flender approved lubricant for......
Lubrication Regimes
There are actually 4 types of lubrication regimes that equipment can experience and each component usually experiences at least 3 within their lifetime! As......
EALs?
Q: What makes a lubricant Environmentally Friendly? There are many definitions of environmentally friendly. For instance, a lubricant can be environmentally friendly if it......
Base Oil Groups
Q: How many Groups of Base oils are there? There are 5 groups of base oils as defined by the American Petroleum Institute (API).......
PAOs vs PAGs
Let’s start off with definitions! PAO: Polyalphaolefin PAG: Polyalklene Glycol While both are synthetic oils they are classified under different Groups of Base oils.......
My MLE Journey
Some details about the MLE certification journey from online classes to online exam...
EasyRCA!
Recently, most of our concerns stem around getting stuff done faster but wanting the same quality result. For instance, when loading a web page,......
Expired grease?
Are there any signs that my grease has expired? There are a lot of signs to tell if grease has expired! Some of the......
Outdoor Storage
I have no room in the warehouse, can I store the oils outside until I get room? It is never ideal to store lubricants......
ISO 4406 rating
Is the ISO 4406 rating important? Yes, it is very important! The ISO 4406 rating tells us the cleanliness level of our lubricant. It......
Filter rating
Is the filter rating important? Yes! It is very important. Usually, the OEM of the equipment specifies the filter rating (and even the filter......
Synthetic vs Mineral
Should I use a synthetic oil in my equipment or just stick to mineral? Check with your OEM first. There are some OEMs that......
Mixing viscosities
Can I mix different viscosities of oils to get the viscosity that I want? It can be done but this is not an ideal......
Stop production?
I can’t shut down the equipment but I know the oil has degraded significantly. What can I do? Tough decisions!!! There are times when......
TBN decrease
The TBN has dropped significantly, can I still use the oil? The TBN (Total Base Number) is usually seen in diesel engines. Most modern......
Mixing oils
Can I mix hydraulic oils with engine oils? Oils should never be mixed! Every oil is designed with its application in mind. As such,......
Multigrade vs Monograde
Why use multigrade instead of monograde oils? A monograde oil does not provide the same level of protection on start-up as a multigrade oil.......
That “w”!
What does the “w” stand for in multigrade oils? The “w” stands for winter. Let’s go back a bit. We weren’t always as advanced......
Recommended oil – Automotive
What type of oil should I use in my car? Always follow what the OEM recommends! A quick google search can help you find......
Additives and their properties
Properties of Additives in Lubricants Each lubricant has a varying percentage of additives as not all lubricants are created equally. Lubricants are designed based......
ICML 55 – the revolution in the lubrication sector
What is ICML 55? ICML 55 is revolutionizing the lubrication industry! It is so exciting to be around at this time when it has......
Used Oil Analysis Tips
“When should an oil sample really be taken?” In used oil analysis, oil samples can be taken at any time, but one should always......
Lubricant Deterioration Identifications
What the difference between Shelf Life and Service Life? There’s a major difference between Shelf life and Service life especially when it concerns lubricants!......
Conditions that affect lubricants
What conditions affect lubricants? How are your lubricants currently stored? Are you storing lubricants under the correct conditions? These questions have come up a......
Oxidation
What is Oxidation? One of the major types of oil degradation is Oxidation. But what is it exactly, as applied to a lubricant? Oxidation......
Thermal Degradation vs Oxidation
What’s the difference between Thermal Degradation and Oxidation of a lubricant? The two major differences are the contributory factors and the by products that......
Microdieseling
What is Microdieseling? Microdieseling is also called Compressive Heating and is a form of pressure induced thermal degradation. The oil goes through 4 stages......
Electrostatic Spark Discharge
What is Electrostatic Spark Discharge? Electrostatic Spark Discharge is real and extremely common for turbine users! Static electricity at a molecular level is generated......
Grease compatibility
Are all greases compatible? We recently touched on greases being available in a wide variety based on application but the real question is, “Are......
Grease Thickener Types
Grease Thickener Properties We keep speaking about each grease being different based on their thickener type. However, what are the properties that these thickeners give......
Base oil viscosity of greases
Importance of Base oil Viscosity in Greases While we’ve focused on the variances in greases due to thickener types, we haven’t touched much on......
Grease Thickener Temperatures
Understanding Grease Thickener Temperatures The grease thickener has a crucial role in deciding the environment in which a grease should be applied. One of......
Understanding NLGI
Does the NLGI grade matter? Of course it does! That’s why it was invented and classed into different categories for various applications! NLGI stands......
Grease colours
Is Grease Color important? I’ve almost always heard my customers refer to the grease that they are using by its colour.They would say, “I’m......
Colour Coding
What is the importance of Colour Coding? Quite often when we are correcting or helping companies set up their lubrication storage areas, we get......
Lubrication Audit?
Audits usually get people nervous! They are worried about what the auditor may or may not find. When we perform lubrication audits, we’re trying......
ISO 4406
A lot of people get confused when reading the ISO 4406 rating. The rating specifies a range of the number of particles of certain......
Lubrication failures in Ammonia plants
Quite often, when lubrication failures occur, the first recommended action is to change the lubricant. However, when the lubricant is changed, the real root......
Lubrication failures in Industrial plants
When failures occur in industrial plants, the first culprit to be suspected is usually the lubricant. However, should this be the first area that......
How can a lubricant fail?
How can a lubricant fail? This question has caused many sleepless nights and initiated countless discussions within the industrial and even transportation sectors. Before......
5 Habits of an Extraordinary Reliability Engineer – My review
Peter Horsburgh has essentially captured the 5 Habits of an Extraordinary Reliability Engineer in his book! His style of writing appeals to engineers as he keeps......
PROACT Review
Root Cause Analysis has always been dear to my heart. The procedure involved in finding the root causes and addressing them have intrigued me greatly......
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