6 Steps to Choosing the Best Industrial Lubricant

Selecting an industrial lubricant for your machining operations may seem like a choose your own adventure story. But where do you start?

Lubricants are crucial to any machining process. The right product will reduce friction and wear, cool moving elements, prevent corrosion, and perform other important functions.

Having improper lubrication or, even worse, no lubrication at all can cause a host of problems. These can include extreme temperatures, component damage, inconsistent or reduced performance, and machine failure.

When you are looking to choose a lubricant for your machining purposes, consider these six steps:

1. Equipment Recommendations
2. Operating Conditions
3. Lubricant Specifications
4. Ease of Use and Maintenance
5. Regulations and Environment
6. Overall Cost and Supply Chain

Step 1: Equipment Recommendations

When it’s time to choose a lubricant, going right to the source is one of the best steps you can take. Often, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will provide a recommendation for a specific lubricant or guidelines for the product that will provide the best performance.

It is suggested to start with an OEM recommendation because it will provide a direction to begin your journey. OEMs may specify compatibility needs to protect the components in a machine including its metals, paints, and seals. They may also specify aspects that you should avoid in a lubricant that may be incompatible with components or functionality.

The details included within the recommendation are key to planning out which lubricant to select. This necessary task should always be your first step before making any decisions.

Step 2: Operating Conditions

In machining, the details always matter. Nowhere is this truer than when it comes time to select a lubricant for your specific machining operations. You must consider all operating conditions as there are various factors that will determine the lubricant properties your machine needs.

There are three key operating conditions you should consider:

1. Temperature is one of the main aspects you should look for when selecting an industrial lubricant. The temperature will impact the lubricant base oil type. Temperature is closely related to viscosity, the overall most important factor in lubrication.
2. Speed has a direct impact on whether your lubricant will work properly. If the speed of your machining part is high, you will need to look for a lower viscosity lubricant. This will allow your operations to avoid common problems like friction and extreme heat.
3. Load is the final property you should be looking at during this process. When handling heavy loads, it is best to select a lubricant with a higher viscosity to avoid issues. Lighter loads may require a lower viscosity lubricant to reduce the chance of running into problems including mechanical strain or frictional torque.

Step 3: Lubricant Specifications

The main consideration for lubricants boils down to one vital word: viscosity.

Viscosity measures fluid’s resistance to flow and affects many attributes of lubrication. Selecting the correct viscosity for your operations will improve your production, increase machine longevity, lower fuel consumption, and more.

Additionally, additives can positively impact the performance of your part and could be a deciding factor as well. Depending on the type, additives can enhance or suppress your base oil property to better tailor to your needs.

Here are a selection of common additives you should consider when selecting a lubricant:

• Antioxidants are used to delay the beginning of oxidation to ensure your lubricant has a long operating life. Oxidation is a chemical process where a substance is combined with oxygen or oxygen is added. This can result in rusting, burning, and other reactions that are detrimental to your production.
• Corrosion Protection does what the name implies. This additive will stop or reduce your metal parts from rusting or corroding. Often, this is achieved by creating a protective film or barrier over the metal surface.
• Anti-Wear Additives are another tool in your arsenal that will help extend the operating life of your parts. By forming a protective chemical film on a metal’s surface, these additives will reduce and prevent friction and wear when metal surfaces meet each other.

Step 4: Ease of Use and Maintenance

The appropriate lubricant should make your life easier, not harder. Equally as important as product considerations are process ones. When selecting a lubricant, pick the one that is more versatile with less maintenance. This can save you time, labor, and cost in the long run.

During this step, it’s important to balance convenience and quality. Benefits are important but you should not ignore other attributes to achieve them.

A significant challenge many operators may overlook is the application of a lubricant. Your equipment may allow for lubrication through an accessible hinge or it may be in a harder to reach location. This is a feature you should think about and account for when selecting a lubricant.

Step 5: Regulations and Environment

Not only should you consider your personal and professional preferences for a lubricant during this process, but you must follow local and federal regulations and environmental standards as well. Every industry, from food to automotive to construction and beyond, adheres to compliance requirements that cannot be overlooked.

For example, in the United States, environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) are a specific category of lubricants. These must meet all EPA standards for an environmentally acceptable lubricant. These standards might apply to your EAL’s biodegradability, bioaccumulation, toxicity, or contaminants.

Whether your lubricants must meet EPA standards or not, obeying all regulations is an important aspect of deciding a lubricant.

Step 6: Overall Cost and Supply Chain

The final step is one that company decision makers might find the most important: the overall cost and supply chain. While budget is a crucial consideration for purchasing materials and equipment for your operations, it can’t be the only one. The real value of a lubricant isn’t in its price tag, but in the total cost of ownership.

What may seem steep up front could lead to longer equipment life, reduced downtime, reliable supply chain, and significant savings.

Conclusion

It is difficult to overstate the importance of choosing the correct lubricant for your purposes. Having the right product in your arsenal can improve efficiency in your machinery while reducing the chance of failure and operating costs. By following the above six steps, you will be prepared for the task of choosing a lubricant that will be the perfect match for your needs.