Lubrication

Grease suits low and medium speed bearings, points that are hard to seal or relubricated infrequently, because grease stays in place. Oil is needed in gearboxes, hydraulics, compressors and high-speed bearings where heat must be carried away and the lubricant circulates. Do not replace oil with grease in a gearbox designed for oil.

ISO 6743 classifies lubricants by application, one family per part: part 3 for compressors, part 4 for hydraulics (for example HM, HV), part 6 for gears (CKC, CKD), part 9 for greases. The code lets you compare oils between brands by type, while ISO VG viscosity is stated separately.

Where incidental contact with product is possible, use lubricants registered as NSF H1. Points with no possibility of contact may use H2. When switching to H1, flush out the old oil, since mixing removes the compliance.

Keep drums lying horizontally or upright under a cover, indoors and out of sun and rain, because temperature swings make drums breathe moisture in through the bung. Label each product clearly and use dedicated dispensing equipment per product to avoid mixing. Sealed oils usually keep for several years, while grease can bleed oil if stored long in a hot place.

List every lubrication point on each machine, recording lubricant type, quantity and interval from the maker's documentation. Consolidate equivalent products to reduce the number of grades in store and the risk of wrong top-ups. Then assign responsibility and log each lubrication task so intervals can be adjusted to actual conditions.

An oil sample shows viscosity, water content, acid number, additive depletion and wear metals such as iron, copper and aluminium. A rising trend in wear metals warns that a bearing, gear or bush is failing before any noise appears. Sample from the same point with the machine running or just stopped so results are comparable.