Importance of Contamination Control

Whit Gammon | Manager, Strategic Accounts, Des-Case

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  Importance of Contamination Control

  Did you know that in most cases the amount of particle contamination in your equipment’s oil is the single biggest factor of the length of life of that equipment? I’m here today to talk to you about the importance of contamination control. The fact is that about 60–80% of equipment failures are typically lubrication related, which can cost you up to 20% of your entire maintenance budget.

  So let’s talk about what size particles cause the most damage. In most machines, it’s particles that are 2–5 microns in size, which aren’t even visible to the naked eye. This is the range of clearance in many sensitive components like servo valves, bearings, and the pitch line of gear teeth. To put that into perspective, the size of particles that are causing all this damage are around the same size as a red blood cell.

  So you’ll ask yourself, how much contamination is too much? I would tell you, as little as a teaspoon of dirt and maybe one ounce of water is enough to render a new drum of oil unfit for use in critical applications. That is why it’s so important to get and keep your lubricants clean and dry throughout every stage of the life cycle. This includes filtering your new oil as it arrives at your plant and continuing to protect that oil while it is stored, transferred, or in use. Des-Case offers a full range of fluid handling and filtration products in portable and dedicated filtration, water removal, lubricant storage, and breathers. Visit our website for online customizers to fit your needs.

Tags: contamination, Des-Case, Whit Gammon

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