Importance of Lubrication Reduces breakdowns and increases productivity

Importance of Lubrication: Reduces breakdowns and increases productivity

Importance of Lubrication

A lubricant serves multiple purposes in a machine, like routine wear and tear prevention, controlling the effects of aging, increasing life of the machine etc. which indirectly result in an increase in productivity, quality of output and operational safety. Machines are mechanical systems with moving and rotating parts that wear out with time. There is always some friction between moving parts that causes components to wear out over time, this is where the role of lubrication becomes prominent. As a lubricant is introduced between moving parts in a mechanical system, a film is formed on the surface of components. This film of lubricant reduces the friction between those components making the surface more slippery.

Benefits of Lubrication

The direct benefits of lubrication on the entire workplace are increased productivity, increased efficiency, reduced breakdowns, better safety of employees and less wear and tear of equipment, all of these resulting in operational excellence. Lubrication also reduces the rate of equipment deterioration by reducing excessive temperatures and friction which result in lesser thermally induced and frictional wear.

Lubrication in machine is mainly performed to counteract friction. As we rub our palms, heat is generated due to friction, similarly, as machine parts moving relative to each other experience resistance due to friction which also increases the local temperature of that particular area. Higher temperatures induce thermal wear within the equipment which leads to reduced levels of performance. In this competitive world of manufacturing, friction poses a big risk to organizations, there are many costs involved that make operating equipment without proper and regular lubrication very unfeasible. The cost of equipment repair or replacement, losses due to downtime and unavailability of machine during failure and repair etc. are significant factors that highlight the importance of proper lubrication in machines. The abrasive particles generated due to friction between two parts lead to further damage of the machine.

Hence, TPM total productive maintenance includes regular and standardized lubrication in autonomous maintenance to be performed at fixed intervals and also when the lubricant levels are low.
This step is very helpful for manufacturing organizations as the operators can easily check the oil levels at any time. This results in lesser incidences of downtime, failure, accidents and marks a significant increase in productivity and efficiency for organizations that adopt TPM.