If you operate machines, you may be interested in learning how lubricants help to keep them in good working condition for as long as possible. Replacing machines and parts can be costly, so maintaining your lubricant within the machine can go a long way in protecting your machine and its tooling. So, why is it necessary to lubricate a machine?
Lubricating your machine correctly will ensure that you can continue to machine a wide range of materials to a high standard. It will also reduce downtime, reduce unnecessary replacement machine & tooling costs. When paired with routine machine lubricant monitoring, you’ll also be complying with HSE MW05.
Keep reading to find out more about the importance of lubricating your machines and discover what can happen if you don’t.
It is important to lubricate a machine so that the machine itself, and any tooling lasts as long as possible. When lubricating a machine, you are reducing the intensity of friction between each moving part. This allows moving parts to slide easily, which prolongs the duration of a machine’s functioning life.
By not lubricating a machine correctly, there is a high chance that your machine will fail, incurring many more cost implications, downtime and disappointed customers.
Investing in the correct machine lubricant and regular lubricant monitoring will have many benefits. Not only will the life of your machine and all its parts be extended, but your finished workpiece will have an outstanding surface finish.
Machine lubricants offer many benefits to various applications. Read on to find out more about the benefits associated with them.
| Benefit | Explanation |
| Cool Tooling & Moving Parts | Heat build-up can cause tool wear over time. A machine coolant will cool tooling and any other moving parts throughout the process. This will ensure maximum tool life, which in turn can provide financial savings on any maintenance or fixes. |
| Reduce Friction | Another benefit of machine lubricant is that it can reduce friction between moving parts. Not only will this extend tool life but it will also improve the surface finish of the material being machined. |
| Remove Metal Particles | An additional benefit of machine lubricants is that they remove chips and fines from the tooling area. These should then be filtered out of the lubricant to reduce metal contaminants. By doing so, your machine works more efficiently. |
| Prevent Corrosion of Tooling | Machine lubricant additives will ensure that tooling does not suffer from corrosion, it does this by removing heat from moving parts. This allows your machine to work efficiently for longer. |
If you do not lubricate your machine, your machine will suffer from lubricant starvation, and fail to machine parts accurately and to a high standard. Friction on moving parts will increase due to heat not being carried away from the tooling areas. Chips and fines will remain in the working area, and will not be filtered out of the system, which will cause contamination of the coolant. This will only get worse over time and hinder machining processes.
The main aim of machine lubricant is to cool all elements of the machining process. If lubricant levels are not maintained within the supplier’s recommended range, then the coolant cannot do its job effectively. The machine lubricant will increase in temperature and evaporate further as it is being pumped around the machine
more frequently.
We offer a wide range of machine lubricants, all developed and blended from our Sheffield plant. We specialise in bespoke blends, creating unique lubricants for customers with specific application needs. We also help our customers maintain their machine lubricants with our PROCARE Fluid Management service.
If you’d like to troubleshoot your application with our technical team, then get in touch with us today. Or you can find out more about our full range of machine lubricants here.
Machine lubricants work by reducing the friction between moving parts on machinery. By lubricating these parts, you are decreasing the stress placed on the machine tool which can lengthen its working life. If you are unsure what type of machine lubricant is ideal for your application, contact our helpful technical team for support.
There are various types of lubricants commonly used in cnc machinery. These include:
To help a machine run smoothly, the types of lubricants you can expect to use include different oils and greases such as hydraulic oils, industrial lubricants and gear oils. For guidance on which lubricant is right for your machine, contact our technical team today.
