Grease lubricated equipment should not be kept idle for long periods. The base oil in the greases could separate out and get drained from the thickener, which does not have any lubrication properties by itself. Stop and think about all of your equipment to evaluate potential risks with grease separation.

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From "Lean Maintenance"

Lean action item 1: Count the number of Corrective items you find when you do the preventive maintenance tasks. A Lean PM frequency is 5 to 6 PMs for each corrective task.

Lean action item 2: Automated lubrication equipment can be extremely Lean. The new systems can be put into place for long periods, and will deliver lubricant reliably without extra labor. These systems are particularly useful where the grease points are hard to get to, in dangerous or distant locations. Many systems that feel multiple points will set a flag or an alarm when the points get too easy (cut line), or too hard (plugged up), to pump to. Of course, automated lubrication equipment has to be added to a PM list because the lubricant does get used up and the system is not infallible.

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Question: Which type of fluid is at risk for dissolving certain plastics used for sample bottles? What caution is required?

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Some contaminants are important to monitor and analyze because they are root causes of premature oil degradation and engine failure. Other contaminants are symptomatic of an active failure condition that requires a response other than just an oil change. For instance, seal damage leading to fuel dilution or glycol contamination cannot be remedied by performing an oil change or switching to a better quality lubricant. Such symptom-based contaminants are also root causes that enable new failures to occur.

Any one of the contaminants described in this article is capable of causing premature or even sudden engine failure.
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APRIL 2009

Fundamentos de la Lubricación
22-23 Buenos Aires

Machinery Lubrication I
14-16 Houston, TX

Machinery Lubrication I & II
20-23 Selangor, Kuala Lumpur

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3 Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico

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21-23 Villahermosa, Tab.

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19-21  Minneapolis,  MN

Análisis de Aceite – I
19-21  México,  D.F.

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13-14  Buenos Aires

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Lubricación de Maquinara I
12-14  Santo Domingo,  Puerto Rico
26-29  Heredia,  Costa Rica

Oil Analysis I and II
19-22 Bangkok

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15  Santo Domingo,  Puerto Rico

Machinery Lubrication and Oil Analysis
18-21  Nagoya, Japan