Lubrication Experts

Oil analysis - your business is most likely doing it, collecting the data, and then never looking at the data ever again. How do I know this? Because I have seen countless examples. In this podcast, Elaine Hepley from Polaris Laboratories takes a look at oil analysis data, how it is analysed, and how we set limits.

Lithium greases still dominate the market. But how did it get to be that way? In this wide-ranging interview with Lubrication Expert Andy Waynick, we discuss simple versus complex greases, why Lithium won over all the other soaps, grease compatibility and much, much more. https://lubrication.expert

Synthetic base oils are everywhere. But you might be surprised to learn how many there are, and when they're used. In this episode we talk about the fundamentals of synthetic lubricants with returning guest John Sander.

Sometimes you will have seen her on social media as Wendy, the Oil Lady. She is the president of a group called the Crew Collaborative which does a lot of work promoting the trades in the construction industry.  And the reason why she's able to give some really good insight specifically into our industry is that not only is she the crew collaborative president, Wendy is also a field-based account...

Open Gear Lubricants are a unique class of very high-viscosity oils often used in the mining, steel, and cement industries. Essential for driving large mills and big slew gears, open gear lubricants maintain the health of some of the most expensive assets on the planet.

Welcome back to Lubrication Experts! Today, we delve into the fascinating world of lubricant chemistry with none other than Dr. Matthew Hobbs from EPT Clean Oil. Despite the moody lighting due to a minor technical glitch with my video setup, this discussion promises to be as enlightening as ever. Dr. Hobbs, the Manager of Technical Services, Research, and Development at EPT Clean Oil, brings a wea...

We all know that the price of Lithium increased drastically in recent years. Competition originally began with the rise in consumer electronics, but increased exponentially with the demand generated by the EV transition. This poses an issue for greases, where lithium soaps dominate the market by volume thanks to their "jack of all trades" performance. https://lubrication.expert

Lubrication is a vital component in the maintenance and longevity of mechanical assets, yet it is often overlooked or misunderstood. With an estimated 70% of mechanical failures directly or indirectly related to lubrication practice, the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) has developed a set of standards aimed at promoting best practices in lubrication and asset management. Des...

Lubricants are tightly interlinked with our sustainability goals. And when I say sustainability I mean both environmental and business. We've talked at length on this podcast about the way that lubricants affect energy efficiency and machine reliability, but how about the sustainability of the actual lubricant itself? Greg Livingstone is back to help us understand the impact of the full lifecycle...

Racing oils - they're everyone's favourite thing to discuss because they represent the pinnacle of engine oil performance. But what exactly makes them different from the everyday oils that you and I use in our daily drivers? In this interview on Lubrication Experts, Rafe Britton speaks with Lake Speed Jr., an expert in racing oils. Lake shares his experience working for Joe Gibbs Racing, where he...

Calcium sulphonates are everywhere - first used as a common TBN additive in engine oils, they're increasingly used as a high-performance grease thickener. But the history behind this is surprising. Industry heavyweight Andy Waynick sat down with Rafe Britton to discuss the development of Calcium Sulphonate greases, their place in the current industrial environment, and their promising future.

Polyakylene glycol (PAG) base oil lubricants are a bit of a mystery. In fact, there are many who fear them due to their reputation for incompatibility with other lubricants on site, as well as seals and paints. But like all things, much of this mystery can be pierced through understanding. Martin Greaves worked at Dow Chemical for some 30 years, working extensively with PAGs. It turns out, PAGs ar...

Varnish is a problem that plagues turbomachinery, compressors, gears, hydraulics and more. There are many causes, but the ultimate result is significant downtime, lost productivity and potential damage to assets. As with any problem that costs a lot of money, many solutions have been proposed to the varnish problem. In this episode, Sanya Mathura helps look at the causes of varnish as well as a fr...

John Sander and I discuss the importance of using the correct type of hydraulic oil in industrial machinery. We cover the different types of hydraulic oils available, their properties and benefits, and how to select the right oil for your specific equipment. Whether you're a maintenance professional or a business owner, John dropped some great info on how to keep your equipment running smoothly. T...

Precision lubrication is a philosophy. But how do you achieve it? Industry veteran Mike Johnson breaks it all down for us in this wide-ranging discussion. Concurrent with the release of this podcast is the publication of the first issue of Precision Lubrication Magazine. Precision Lubrication magazine provides timely, in-depth news and insights on lubrication, maintenance, and reliability. Each is...

Overcoming friction wastes between 20-30% of a country's Gross Domestic Product, and most of this will be the energy costs to overcome friction. Additionally, it is estimated that wear contributes about 3% of GDP (machines breaking down, cost of replacement parts, cost of downtime etc.). That makes lubricants an extremely important part of business sustainability. Even if you don't believe in clim...

Maintenance and reliability teams are hurting from a lack of resources. Whether its shortage of parts, shortage of staff, shortage of budget, or shortage of support, the pressures on these professionals have never been greater. Redlist recently took a survey of it's customers across a number of industries and have been able to tease out some common themes.

EVs are here. Whether you like or not, it seems that both regulation and the markets have decreed that battery-based vehicles are the future. As usual, the lubricants industry will rise to the occasion and adapt to the needs of this new technology platform. But e-fluids have some very specific and niche requirements. In this episode, Adam Banks from Afton chemical sits down with Rafe Britton to ex...

World class maintenance. World class reliability. Word class asset management. What are these? What does it take to be "world class" in these domains? Thom Schiff has a wealth of experience on both sides of the equation, both on the ground in maintenance teams, as well as leading lubrication suppliers. He helps to spell out what it take to be world class, and crucially, how improving your maintena...

Compressor oils are awesome. It's the ultimate blend of mechanical engineering, chemistry and fluid dynamics. But in my experience with many industrial customers, there is a gap in understanding regarding the interaction of the compressor oil with the compressed gas, as well as the nbuances of the formulation. Jim once again steps in helpfully to enlighten.

Piston rings are an essential component to the operation of any reciprocating-style equipment, be they internal combustion engines or compressors. What you may not appreciate is that 40% of the friction generated inside an engine is at the piston-liner interface, which makes the solid and liquid lubrication of this component absolutely critical. In this discussion, Lake Speed Jnr talks about the e...

Asset Management, Reliability, Maintenance, Lubrication. They're all slightly different, so Rafe talks with a specialist in the field to get his take on all things related. We talked about P-f intervals, remaining useful life of assets, oil sampling, oil analysis, certification programs and more. SAS Asset Management: https://sas-am.com Become a Lubrication Expert: https://lubrication.expert Relia...

Industrial gear oil formulation is an interesting business. The first gear oils were more or less just cut back engine oil formulations, but as technology and manufacturing methods achieved higher levels of sophistication, gear oils were rebuilt from the ground up to better serve the needs of industry. Ion this wide-ranging conversation covering everything from base oils and additive, to the uniqu...

The mining industry is very capital intensive, making maintenance and reliability a key aspect of both safety and financial success. In this interview, two reliability specialists from BHP share what's going on in the industry, and what the future might look like. Hint: there are a lot more computers and robots, but also a lot more people. Become a Lubrication Expert: https://lubrication.expert/pr...

Independent lubricant manufacturers in many ways represent the backbone of the industry. Most of the attention goes to the large multinationals, but in almost every country there are small to medium sized lubricant brands serving local industry. ILMA - the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association - represents these organisations in the US. I talked with their CEO, Holly Alfano and Director...