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Justifying an Oil Analysis Program
Tom Salkeld, Laboratory Manager, Oilcheck PTY
LTD
Just because we "never have" doesn't mean "never
will" or "never can". Oil analysis is pro-active
maintenance and the cost of implementing an oil analysis program
could pay for itself many times over if it prevents just one major
failure - just think of the cost in production downtime alone!
It must be re-iterated that oil analysis doe not only look at
the condition of the oil - it can predict the condition of the
machine in question ie the oil may be in good condition (minimal
contamination and degradation etc) but an alignment / load problem
may occur which may manifest as higher wear rates as determined
by oil analysis. Maintenance supervisors can then look into possible
causes (ie check vibration data) and correct problems before they
develop into failure modes.
Look at it this way, one doesn't just wait until their car 'blows
up' till deciding its a good idea to check the fluid levels or
perform a scheduled service. All machines have a finite service
life, and to get the most out of them, a pro-active approach is
needed. Oil analysis, when used with other pro-active measures,
is one of the best 'tools' for preventing major (even minor -
think lost production time) failures and all the associated costs
involved - its just plain good economics.
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