Lubricating grease and machine efficiency?

A lubricating grease is a type of lubricant used predominantly for metal parts and machinery. Typically used in the transport and manufacturing industries to reduce the wear caused by friction.

Molyslip’s range of machine lubricants, greases, and aerosol sprays, are all uniquely designed to protect metal and machinery over prolonged use.

In high-technology industries, such as Metalworking, Oil/Gas, Glass and MRO, machines often lose efficiency over time. This is due to several factors including friction, erosion and general wear.

Typically, these effects happen with age/prolonged use. Though they can be exacerbated in extreme conditions often encountered in manufacturing industries.

Lubricants, particularly metal lubricating greases, can play a pivotal role in ensuring that production runs smoothly. They can also increase machine efficiency.

Lubricating grease achieves this by reducing friction between moving parts. Forming protective layers keeps component parts safe from heat and other damaging environmental factors.

This article will look at the various ways that metal lubricating greases can contribute to improving machine efficiency over time.

How do bearing lubricating greases work?

Bearing lubricating greases are typically semi-solid lubricants that consist of base oil, thickener, and performance and anti-wear additives.

Thickeners, often metallic soaps like lithium, calcium, or aluminium, give the grease its structure and consistency. These greases are designed to adhere to surfaces, providing a protective layer that reduces friction and wear between moving parts.

Often, different grease bases are required to meet different specifications. Unique properties such as calcium-thickened products, like our Arvina general purpose EP2 grease range, which performs best in industrial lubrication applications. Or our Arvina XT2 that is best used for high-temperature/high-speed environments.

Therefore, It’s important to know which lubricant or grease is required for your specific manufacturing process or metal applications. Certain lubricants will adapt better to higher temperatures or varying conditions.

Why should I use a bearing lubricating grease?

Reduced Friction and Wear:

One of the main ways lubricating greases can improve efficiency is by minimizing friction between machine parts and components.

As machinery operates, friction can cause wear between parts and create excessive heat. Consequently, this can lead to component failure, increased maintenance costs, periods of downtime and decreased efficiency over time.

Bearing lubricating greases form a protective film on surfaces. Therefore, this creates a barrier that reduces the friction and wear within the machinery. As a result, this can help extend the lifespan of machine components and reduce the damage this friction can cause.

Corrosion Protection:

Machinery operating in environments with varying climate conditions can be highly susceptible to corrosion. These conditions can often compromise the structural integrity of components and cause them to break down more quickly.

Bearing lubricating greases can offer high levels of corrosion protection. This ensures the machinery is insulated with a protective layer meaning that it prevents the ingress of water and, subsequently, corrosion.

Specific lubricants are designed with corrosion protection in mind. Molyslip’s Arvina range has been designed to help prevent corrosion on metal surfaces.

With this protective layer applied to metal surfaces your machinery is protected. Ensuring that corrosion issues are less frequent or severe.

Temperature Stability:

To enhance machine efficiency, they need to maintain an optimal operating temperature.

Bearing lubricating greases provide exceptional thermal stability and regulate temperatures within the machinery. This ensures machines can withstand the temperature extremes often encountered during operation and extended use.

This stability helps prevent the greases from breaking down. This ensures its lubricating properties over time and contributes to consistent and reliable performance.

Sealing and Contamination Prevention:

Manufacturing machines are precise pieces of equipment. Meaning they can easily be damaged by contaminants, such as dust, grit, dirt, and moisture getting into the components.

Bearing lubricating greases can act as an effective seal against these potentially damaging substances.

This can greatly improve the productivity of your machinery, protecting it against, wear, breakage and damage from contaminants. As a result, this can greatly reduce the need for repairs and regular maintenance and keep it running more effectively for longer.

By forming a protective barrier, metal lubricating greases prevent the ingress of harmful particles. This preserves the integrity of the machine and its performance.

Extended Maintenance Intervals:

Reducing maintenance and downtime in manufacturing is vital to maximising the efficiency of your production. Ensuring that machinery requires less frequent maintenance intervals and repairs, resulting in manufacturers saving thousands in repairs and lost business due to downtime.

Therefore, metal lubricating greases, with their durability and long-lasting protective properties, contribute to longer maintenance intervals and less need for repairs as a result.

This not only reduces downtime but can also result in lower maintenance costs. Making metal lubricating greases a cost-effective choice for industries seeking to improve operational efficiency.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bearing lubricating greases play a valuable role in maintaining manufacturing standards and optimizing machinery performance. Manufacturers purpose-built them to withstand extreme and fluctuating conditions in manufacturing plants.

Therefore, Molyslip’s range of lubricants and greases are specially formulated to withstand a varying range of manufacturing environmental conditions and applications.

You can find our full range of lubricants by visiting our catalogue and downloading our technical data sheets.