WHAT WORKS FOR OTHERS...
Table III. ISO 4406 Chart
Range Number 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6
Number of particles per ml More Than Up To and Including 80000 160000 40000 80000 20000 40000 10000 20000 5000 10000 2500 5000 1300 2500 640 1300 320 640 160 320 80 160 40 80 20 40 10 20 5 10 2.5 5 1.3 2.5 0.64 1.3 0.32 0.64
As can be seen by referring back to Table II, improving the cleanliness of lubricating rolling element bearings can result in a dramatic increase in rolling element life. For example, starting with a 22/20/17 fluid and cleaning it to a 16/14/11 fluid can result in a tripling of the rolling-element bearing life. These tables are available for many types of equipment components. In Part IV, we’ll meet a specialty metals producer in the Northwest that was lubricating vacuum pumps with 23/20/14 oil and experiencing high failure rates. After realizing that cleaning the oil could reduce failures, the producer enlisted the help of a filter manufacturer to create a filtration program that improved oil cleanliness to 18/17/15. This resulted in a 70% reduction in pump failures and more than $350,000 per year in pump-rebuild savings. This case history will discuss the steps taken to improve fluid cleanliness and the economic impact on the operation, as well as future steps that will further optimize pump reliability. PART V: The Benefits of Training and Certification Lubricator training is not only a crucial element of any effort to improve job performance, it can—and should— lead to professional certification for lubrication proficiency. Two major organizations provide competency testing that 14 | LUBRICATION MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
Some of the best ways to make the case for sound lubrication programs are success stories about others. There are many of them. can lead to certifications: the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) and the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). Following are the certifications they offer: ■ ICML—Machinery Lubrication Technician Levels I and
II; Machinery Lubrication Analyst Levels I, II, & III; and Laboratory Lubricant Analyst levels I and II ■ STLE—Certified Lubrication Specialist; Oil-Monitoring
Analyst Levels I and II; and Certified Metalworking Specialist Certification is a hallmark of two major groups of users… The first group includes the lubrication technicians and engineers in manufacturing plants. Certifications most popular with these professionals are Machinery Lubrication Technician Level I and Certified Lubrication Specialist. Certification is also important to lubricant sales and marketing personnel. Becoming STLE-certified gives this group an edge over the competition because lubricant purchasers want to deal with technically competent sales engineers. A recent industry salary survey, for example, revealed that salespeople who were Certified Lubrication Specialists averaged $20,000 per year more than uncertified salespeople. They also had greater management opportunities. Part V of this series will focus on several lubrication professionals and the benefits they reaped after obtaining certification. Coming up Look for the first installment of this series, “Building A WorldClass Lubrication Program,” in the March/April issue. LMT Ray Thibault is based in Cypress (Houston), TX. An STLECertified Lubrication Specialist and Oil Monitoring Analyst, he conducts extensive training for operations around the world. Telephone: (281) 250-0279. Email: rlthibault@msn.com. For more info, enter 01 at www.LMTfreeinfo.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013