Polyurea greases have very good oxidation resistance, because they don't contain metal soaps (such as calcium, lithium, etc.) which are pro-oxidants to varying degrees. They are therefore widely used in lubed-for-life bearings.

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We know that when critical failures occur, every effort should be made to prevent repeat performances. Yet, without an intervention to remove the underlying root cause, a recurrence is almost guaranteed. It stands to reason that maintenance organizations should consider failure investigations as seriously as they do the repair activities needed to return a machine to service. Yet all too often, once production has been restored, the urgency and memory of the failure begins to fade.

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"I am preparing to upgrade the lubrication program at the mill. Do you have any suggestions for where I should begin the process?"

If is often tempting to make a clean break from poor lubrication conditions by changing suppliers, bringing in a fresh perspective and having a new lubrication survey performed as the backbone of the rejuvenating process. This is quick and clean but may not deliver appreciably different results.

We should start with a look at the maintenance objectives. What are we striving to do with the maintenance program? Have we identified the critical systems in the plant? Do we know what the failure modes for those systems are? Have we decided what courses of action will best address and correct the problems identified in the failure modes? Do we have a time table for completing these actions, prioritized from most to least critical?

The lubrication strategy should complement the overall maintenance strategy. We must first determine what we want to accomplish and where we want to accomplish it before we begin to address how the lubrication processes can help or hinder our efforts.

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