Compared to the total cost of ownership of a machine, the cost of lubricants in many cases are in the low single-digit percentage range or even lower. In addition, lubricants usually work in secret and are not in daily focus of the machine operator. In the minds of many people a lubricant still is only an adjuvant to which it does not depend so much. The consequences of inefficient, inadequate or even false lubrication are fatal, especially for modern, high-performance machines. The consequential or even downtime costs exceed the price of the lubricant itself usually many times.

The online training series explains in a total of five one-hour modules, how lubrication basically works, when and why mineral oils are increasingly being replaced by synthetic oils and the role of additives.

One module on understanding of the chemical or physical data of technical data sheets and a module to the fundamental differences in the operation of greases complete the course.

Contents:

Module 1: How lubricants work

• Fundamentals of lubrication film generation
• Hydrostatic
• EHD
• Key properties for a stable lubrication film
• Examples
• Hydrodynamic

Module 2: How to read a data sheet – Technical data demystified

• Key properties from technical data sheets and their real meaning
• Quality control and performance data
• How to read a data sheet
• Examples

Module 3: Mineral oils or synthetic’s – what is the real difference

• Base oil types: Properties and application areas
• API base oil groups
• Comparison of most important performance data
• Examples

Module 4: Additive technology in a nutshell

• Overview of most important additive types
• Function and application areas
• How to identify on lab reports
• Examples

Module 5: What is the difference – How lubricating greases work

• Grease and oil – the difference
• Base oils, additives and thickener types
• How greases lubricate a roller bearing
• Importance of appropriate re-lubrication