Have you ever given thought to the severe operating environment of an industrial gearbox? Even if you have correctly lubricated the bearing, elevated temperatures, airflow and loads as often have dust and water that enter through breathers and failing seals often take their toll! Water in the gearbox lubricant is perhaps the most common cause of bearing failure, so today we’re going to examine how water in Gearbox lubricant causes bearing failure.

We all know that water is harmful to machinery in general, and bearings in particular. As little as 500ppm of water in gearbox oil can damage machine surfaces directly, through a sequence of events and often with a variety of helpers. In many cases, the most severe damage is as a result of secondary causes. For instance, water may initially lead to premature oxidation of the base oil. When the oxides combine with more water, a corrosive acidic fluid environment exists.

Have you ever had someone ask if you want to save money on your air compressor oil? Well it’s really not that difficult to achieve some pretty major savings, just by following some best in class practices: Especially if you're operating several air compressors.

A significant saving can be had by moving away from time-based oil changes on air compressors. The real cost of changing 20 lt’s of air compressor oil is not just the cost of the oil, but once you take into account the direct and supervisory labour and downtime you

Choice is good, but how do you determine the best synthetic oil?

If we all agree that synthetic lubricants offer better protection than conventional mineral oils, then the next question surely has to be how do you determine the best synthetic oil?

To avoid costly damage, it’s important to determine the best synthetic oil before you buy. In this article we’re going to answer the question in broader terms, so as to include industrial products as well as synthetic motor oils used in

In our modern environment we’re surrounded by hydraulic applications.From massive oil-drilling rigs to the robots that assemble our cars. All hydraulic, and each application eking out that last iota of oil life and performance to save money and the planet. The one thing they all have in common is their life-blood; hydrolic oils. But in improving performance, what are the advantages of using synthetic hydrolic oil vs regular oil?

Well for one synthetic hydrolic oil is much more stable under

We all understand that we need to change oil: Whether it’s in the chip fryer or in our car engines! But What should synthetic oil change intervals be? And why does it need changing in our cars?

Strangely, the reasons for regular oil changes is common to all oils; including our fryer at home:
Oxidation - This changes the composition of the oils, and when combined with other elements, often forms harmful acidic compounds.

Contamination - This is usually from external sources (Silica), but a as the mechanical components wear, the wear particles also contaminate the oils.

During the km’s between synthetic oil changes, the lube in your cars engine gradually becomes contaminated with silica, metal particles, gasoline and other impurities. As mileage accumulates, so do the contaminants. Eventually, enough impurities accumulate that the filter cannot remove them and the oil cannot keep them in suspension.

As the global population grows, consuming more energy, natural resources and the environment are increasingly under threat. One product that has a particularly bad reputation is oil; with many organisations working on how to reduce the effect of oil on the environment, while still meeting the ever increasing energy requirements.
To highlight the environmental impact: The used lubricant from one motor vehicle's change can contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh