Grease degradation diagnosis technology
April 2024
Motion Control & Drives
NSK is developing a world-first, a high-accuracy way of rapidly and accurately diagnosing the remaining life of lubricant grease. The company will provide the solution as a mobile app, enabling users to perform the onsite analysis of lubricant condition in bearings and linear motion systems. This innovative capability will reduce the need for grease inspection and replenishment costs, and help companies implement condition-based maintenance strategies. NSK is currently seeking customer input and feedback ahead of launching its new app.
A broad spread of machinery and equipment, from machine tools to railcars, utilise grease-lubricated products like bearings, ball screws, and linear guides. However, grease degrades over time as machinery operates, so onsite lubricant inspection is vital to help maximise uptime and overall equipment effectiveness. In recent years, more companies are switching their equipment maintenance strategy from time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance. A need therefore exists for a grease degradation diagnosis method capable of rapid and highly accurate deployment on site. Such an app would also help combat labour shortages, and support carbon neutrality efforts.
Existing high-accuracy diagnosis methods rely on laboratory analysis, but this comes with high cost, a lack of suitability for onsite use, and a long wait for results. Visual observation or densitometer methods are thus more common, but suffer from low accuracy. As a consequence, many companies replenish lubricant unnecessarily early to ensure stable operation, resulting in wasteful grease usage.
With these thoughts in mind, NSK set about developing a far more convenient, cost-effective, fast and accurate method of grease degradation diagnosis. Importantly, the new NSK app can analyse the level of lubricant degradation using just a small sample of grease. Chemical changes to the base oil and additives of the grease occur due to heat from operation and oxidation with the passage of time. These chemical changes cause the molecular structure of the lubricant to change and absorb more short-wavelength light, affecting its colour. Grease itself starts off white when new, turning yellow or orange with use and eventually becoming black, which indicates zero remaining life. The NSK app quantifies grease by its colour to calculate remaining life. NSK has a 40+ year history of in-house grease development, allowing the company to base its new grease degradation diagnosis technology on a deep understanding of the chemical composition of lubricants.
Further reading:
Solving common automation challenges with Festo’s servo drive and servo motor solutions
Festo South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Automation projects face challenges that include limited installation space, the need for precise and repeatable linear motion, rising cycle-speed demands, and seamless integration with existing control architectures. Festo’s servo portfolio directly addresses these issues with compact, modular drive and motor solutions designed for specific applications.
Read more...
Inside the Giant Magellan Telescope with mechanical engineering at astronomical scale
Motion Control & Drives
Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope, set to become the world’s largest Gregorian optical infrared telescope, is well underway. While its scientific mission is to transform astronomy, its performance depends heavily on advanced mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic engineering.
Read more...
Filtration as a reliability driver in motion control systems
Parker Hannifin - Sales Company South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
This article highlights the importance of filtration in motion control systems, how contamination affects performance, and what fleet managers, operators and maintenance teams in southern Africa can do to reduce downtime, avoidable wear and costly repairs, aided by Baldwin Filters.
Read more...
Supporting construction of next-gen floating offshore wind turbines
Motion Control & Drives
While windy locations naturally make ideal spots for offshore wind farms, they bring challenges when it comes to assembling wind turbines, particularly in ports. Mammoet was approached by Euroports to support with the marshalling and assembly of the components that make up the three turbines at Port-la-Nouvelle in France.
Read more...
Rollers excel where profits balance on a knife edge
igus
Motion Control & Drives
Polymer component specialist manufacturer, igus has developed a range of lubrication-free long-life knife edge rollers designed to improve the transfer of products between conveyor belts in high-speed production environments.
Read more...
Bringing physical AI to the factory floor by deploying humanoids in industrial operations
Siemens South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Siemens and Humanoid have marked a landmark milestone in the journey to bring physical AI from vision to industrial reality. Humanoid’s humanoid robothas been successfully tested in operations at Siemens’ electronics factory in Germany, performing autonomous logistics tasks.
Read more...
Next-generation oil-free motor systems with active magnetic bearings
WEG Africa
Motion Control & Drives
WEG and SpinDrive are collaborating to integrate SpinDrive’s AMBs and built-in IoT condition monitoring into WEG’s market-leading electric motor offering, creating an oil-free, maintenance-free drive solution.
Read more...
Rising demand for advanced coolant technology
Motion Control & Drives
As modern engines become smaller, more powerful and increasingly complex, coolant technology has undergone a fundamental transformation.
Read more...
Addressing cost, supply and disease pressures in Africa’s feed industry
Motion Control & Drives
Feed producers across Africa are operating in an increasingly complex and volatile environment. The pressures are forcing producers to rethink how they operate, balancing cost control, production efficiency and the need for greater flexibility in an unpredictable market.
Read more...
Rapid headframe replacement for Canada’s biggest potash mine
Motion Control & Drives
Mammoet has supported Ledcor with the construction of BHP’s new Jansen potash mine.
Read more...
printer friendly version