Problems with lubrication is the leading cause of early bearing failure in rotating equipment. This is despite years of ongoing efforts to include lubrication in a regular cadence of a proactive, reliability-centered maintenance program. Smart lubrication, used within a cloud-based, IoT wireless infrastructure, utilizes an automated lubricant delivery device that can notify users of anomalous conditions, such as a blocked lubrication line or low cartridge grease level. This capability enables planned lubrication maintenance. For the user, this transforms lubrication into an “on-condition” maintenance task.

learning takeaways: 1. Shortcomings in current lubrication practices. 2. Brief description of how a smart lubrication system works. 3. How a smart lubrication system helps achieve the goals of a reliability-centered maintenance program.

Scott Mayo, CMRP is a technical service engineer at Schaeffler Group USA Inc. for the company’s Lifetime Solutions business unit in North America. A certified Category II vibration analyst, Mayo holds a BS in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from California State University, Sacramento.