I visited the Ecomondo fair in Italy at the beginning of November. A huge event with some 100 000 visitors and 30 halls full of stuff from composters to one-family house-sized process lines.

In the case of lubrication, the ultrasonic level detected by a sensor in contact with the bearing is directly linked to the friction level of the bearings. From this point onwards, the maintenance engineer responsible for lubricating bearings has two choices:

Predictive maintenance ultrasound

By using ultrasonic technology, lubrication technicians will be able to know which bearings to lubricate, when to lubricate them and how much lubricant to use.

Using ultrasound, this system measures bearing friction levels in real time. It enables lubrication problems and requirements to be detected at an early stage, well before the bearings are damaged.

The most frequent cause of bearing failure is directly linked to lubrication, so this is a real probme. Its impact on the reliability of industrial equipment is well established! The facts show that, for many years, the lubrication of bearings has been treated more randomly than in a methodical and controlled way.

Ultrasonic lubricationsolution

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This totally autonomous system means that only the bearings that need lubrication will be lubricated, when they need it and with the right amount of lubricant.

Ultrasonicbearinglubrication

A fully autonomous lubrication system completely replaces human intervention for lubrication operations. It is an intelligent lubrication and monitoring system, reducing bearing failures caused by poor lubrication practices by 80%.

It is estimated that 60-80% of bearing failures are related to lubrication. Bearing failures very often lead to unplanned downtime, which often has a significant impact on production and related equipment. This downtime is maby times very costly. Although the costs vary according to the severity of the incident and the industry in question, they do add up to production costs.

• The risk of over-lubrication, which has been identified by a large number of studies as the main cause of premature bearing failure. Principle of Ultrasound technology applied in lubrication :

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I just need this truck to last me a few more months as I'm currently saving for a new one and the $4-500 likely mechanic quote would set me back a bit. But, because of how important to safety this is, I'm more hesitant to just try a DYI.

Ultrasonicbearing Tester

Ultrasonic lubricationprice

Manual lubrication, based solely on the manufacturer's lubrication interval data, gives rise to at least the following two risks:

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) promises improved reliability, but is it always worth it? Full-scale implementation is often overly complex, costly, and unnecessary—like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito. Without readiness and a strong foundation in basic maintenance practices, RCM can distract from more practical, cost-effective solutions. Simpler, experience-driven approaches may often yield better results.

The green transition challenges the status quo in many societal and industrial activities. Materials are a key enabler of new carbon-neutral technologies. The results of the MASCOT project will provide a basis for materials selection and maintenance activities for the emerging industrial processes.

Dynamic Infrastructure (DiGlobal) announces that it has developed an AI solution to predict the future deterioration of concrete and steel structures.

• The installation of an autonomous, ultrasonic-assisted lubrication system to carry out this operation safely, efficiently and without human intervention.

Ultrasonicgrease gun

Many technicians have resorted to 'preventive' lubrication based on time: lubricating at a fixed period of time without any physical measurement of the bearing in order to determine whether or not lubricating is required! Every X months, a grease gun appears in front of the bearing to be lubricated and the bearings are lubricated in this way.

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I've watched a few videos and have most of the tools or could rent the ones needed. I'm pretty good with my hands and can follow instructions/videos as well as any well trained monkey provided there's plenty of pictures. I most recently replaced the water pump and while that got a little difficult once or twice, again monkey skills and percussive persuasion helped me through.

Ultrasonicbearing frequency

Industry 4.0, the ongoing digital transformation of manufacturing, emphasizes intelligent machines, data-driven decision-making, and interconnected operations.

• The risk of under-lubrication increases the mechanical constraints of rotation and can be the cause of failures leading to equipment breakdowns and stoppages, as well as costly corrective maintenance.

Ultrasonic lubricationprocedure

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) promises improved reliability, but is it always worth it? Full-scale implementation is often overly complex, costly, and unnecessary—like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito. Without readiness and a strong foundation in basic maintenance practices, RCM can distract from more practical, cost-effective solutions. Simpler, experience-driven approaches may often yield better results.

From a time-based periodic lubrication perspective, it is assumed that bearings need to be lubricated at regular, fixed time intervals. The question then becomes: how can these time intervals be established? This is often a combination of manufacturer's data, valid for general cases, or for bearings mounted on manufacturer's test benches, and approximations based on empirical experience of the same type of equipment.

These three pieces of information, especially if delivered in real time and for each bearing to be lubricated, will make it possible to considerably improve lubrication practices, reduce lubrication times and the ammount of lubricant consumed, as well as drastically reducing bearing breakdown rates.

In recent years, advances in connectivity, big data and digitalization have often promised to bring significant benefits to industry. Now, with the Valmet Industrial Internet, data is being used to deliver a better kind of maintenance service, as well as performance optimization services.

By using bearing friction as a guide, the system enables bearings that require lubrication to be precisely lubricated with the right amount of lubricant, avoiding over- and under-lubrication. As the friction level is measured continuously and in real time, even during lubrication, the system will stop lubricating on its own as soon as the friction level has dropped to its reference value.

Finally, it should be noted that such a solution will provide software-based, permanent, real-time monitoring of lubrication practices. For example, for the OnTrak, we have the UE Insights: a Cloud platform for storing and monitoring remote data. This fully customisable platform stores all data relating to the condition and lubrication of bearings. It can be used to create monitoring dashboards and set alarm levels. Users can choose to use pre-configured dashboards and widgets, or create their own indicators. This is a web-based platform that requires no software installation and can be consulted from any type of device connected to the internet: desktop PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.