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Synthetic oil saves maintenance costs

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 17, 2003

Dow Corning's extensive Molykote range of high performance industrial lubricants provided an ideal solution to a lubrication problem in a custom-built gearbox for a meat-slicing machine.

A food processing equipment manufacturer using expensive ester-containing extreme-pressure (EP) synthetic oil in a custom-built gearbox application ran into difficulties as the oil was not approved for use near foods and the gearbox was being used on meat slicing machines.

Fortunately, Dow Corning's extensive Molykote range of high performance industrial lubricants had the solution as UK distributor, RW Greeff explains.

The manufacturer of food processing equipment had developed its custom-built gearbox featuring helical steel gears.

Designed for a meat-slicing application, the gearbox experienced higher than normal operating temperatures between 71 and 82C.

Having performed numerous tests on available food-grade gear oils, the manufacturer found that none could meet the challenge set by the demanding operating conditions.

For almost four years from its inception, an ester-containing, extreme-pressure (EP) synthetic oil was used in the gearbox as this was the only gear oil that could withstand the operating temperatures.

However, the oil comes into close proximity with unpackaged meat and was not approved for use with food.

Furthermore, although the non-food-grade EP oil operated well within the temperature of the gearbox, it would break down relatively quickly, requiring maintenance personnel to perform oil changeovers every 30 days.

Almost half of the slicing mechanism had to be disassembled to facilitate this.

If the oil was not changed frequently enough, the non-food-grade product might also lead to varnish deposits, this would significantly shorten gearbox life and require premature rebuilding.

To improve gear lubrication and simplify maintenance, the plant switched to Dow Corning's Molykote L1115FG gear oil ISO150.

Unlike oils made in conventional fractionation processes, the synthetic oil is made by combining smaller molecular "building blocks" to meet targeted performance specifications and to minimise impurities.

The custom-blended polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic oil delivers excellent lubrication at high and low temperatures, reduces volatility and provides compatibility with equipment designed for use with mineral oils.

It also conforms to USDA listing requirements applicable to meat and poultry plants and is qualified for direct food contact under FDA regulations.

Tests during evaluation revealed the Molykote L1115FG gear oil ISO150 maintained high lubricity even after extended exposure to the demands of the application.

Furthermore, friction within the gearbox was prevented to such an extent that the operating temperature under production conditions dropped by 11C representing a 13 to 15% improvement compared with the EP synthetic oil previously used.

Molykote L1115FG Gear Oil ISO150 offers a high stability molecular structure resulting in a more stable lubricant that lasts longer.

In this application, gearbox operating life was extended threefold and, since the manufacturer converted to food-grade gear oil, end users of the meat-slicing equipment have not experienced any lubrication problems.

New scheduled maintenance procedures on the gearboxes, which are used on a production basis around the world, involve routine disassembly only every 90 days.

On over 1000 such machines, maintenance personnel have found that the Molykote gear oil does not require changing prior to this scheduled downtime, reducing maintenance commitments by two thirds.