A maintenance contractor recently contacted Molyslip regarding a customer’s £850 bearing which had failed in the air handling unit on a manufacturing site. After the repair (which cost over £15,000) and a site audit by Molyslip sales engineering Sam Barnes, it was determined that the reason for failure was inadequate lubrication. Mr Barnes provided a regular bearing maintenance schedule and recommended ARVINA MX2. The fan bearings are now working as expected without issue.  However, this audit brought up wider questions regarding bearing lubrication and the costly mistake of using the wrong grease.

A recent study conducted by bearing manufacturer SKF Bearings, found that over 50 million bearings fail every year! The study further discovered that a third of these bearing failures were due to incorrect lubrication. The cost of failure to users is not just seen in the price of the bearings, which can cost upwards of £10,000 per bearing, but is multiplied by the labour cost of replacing the bearing as well as the downtime of the machinery.

Research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) calculated that over $240 billion is lost across the US annually due to downtime and repairs of manufacturing equipment due to poor or improper lubrication. The study goes on to conclude that improper bearing lubrication accounts for up to 50% of machine failures.  It’s apparent that the cost of bearing failure and subsequent replacement are considerably higher than using the correct grease and maintenance schedule from point of installation.

At Molyslip, we pride ourselves in our product and application knowledge as well as our site visits to end users. Molyslip engineers will conduct full site audits globally, assessing the applications, conditions, and customer requirements. With this information they then provide full, detailed and accurate product recommendations, including application instructions along with consumption levels.

Molyslip’s comprehensive ARVINA range of advanced high-performance bearing greases are designed to meet and exceed the needs of the modern industry. For over 80 years, Molyslip’s team of technical engineers and development chemists have provided speciality lubricants and greases for industry.

To find out more about Molyslip’s Bearing Grease range or to arrange a site audit contact us today!