Precision lubrication involves using the right quality, type, and quantity of lubricant in the exact place and re-lubricating at the right intervals to improve machinery reliability and uptime by reducing wear and tear. While procedures may be similar for some machines, subtle differences still exist that require tailored lubrication approaches. Precision dispensing is also crucial, using the right instruments to accurately apply the correct amount of lubricant to the intended areas. When done through a well-designed process incorporating equipment data and assessments, precision lubrication can significantly increase reliability and profitability through elimination of unnecessary maintenance practices and downtime.

1. What is Precision Lubrication?
Precision lubrication in relation to equipment
reliability of oil or grease lubricated components of
rotating equipments involves using the right quality,
type and quantity of lubricating agent, lubrication of
the right component in the exact place and re-
lubrication at the right intervals.
The most important goal of this procedure is to
improve the reliability of machinery and the uptime by
significantly reducing the rate of wear and tear of the
components that are lubricated by the implementation
of pre-calculated procedures and programs.
Vintage Engine
Precision lubrication is not a solution that’s one
measure and fits all. You could have a particular bank
of machines or asset class that will call for same
quality, quantity and type of lubricants, but even
within that bank of machines you will find subtle
differences that may need change of lubricant or
slightly different interval for re-lubrication. Failure to

2. notice these differences can easily spoil the process,
which would reduce the life of each component that
has been inadequately lubricated.
For instance, the procedures and policy will be
different for gearboxes as they will be for centrifugal
pumps, electric motor and blowers. Also, when it
comes to the pump asset class you may have a
situation where a certain series of pumps or pump is
exposed to extreme amounts of moisture and heat,
because of which it would need a synthetic lubricant,
hybrid desiccant breather and a more frequent
lubrication interval. While on the other hand all the
other pumps belonging to that family operate under
normal temperatures and conditions, allowing you to
use materials that are mineral based and a standard
desiccant breather and a regular desiccant breather.
Applying the lubricating material at the right place is
as important as applying the right amount of it. High
precision cannot be achieved without precision
dispensing. Dispensed materials that do not reach the
right place could potentially spoil the machinery and is
certainly a waste of the material, which in the long
term can raise the cost of maintenance. To achieve
Precision dispensing, it is important to find the
instruments (dispensing needles and dispensing

3. nozzles) that will accurately dispense the right amount
of required material to the right area. Precision
lubrication is impossible to achieve without Precision
dispensing.
What It Really Comes Down To
Precision lubrication is a well calculated procedure
that has been designed by gathering data and
evaluating every piece of equipment and its current
operating demands, conditions and environments. This
is usually done by a survey which is coupled with a
plant wide assessment or equipment walk down. The
data is then processed to get better understanding of
the best procedure possible.
When this process is well designed and correctly
implemented, it can drastically increase the reliability
of equipments, overall profitability and significantly
decrease expenses relating to maintenance by the
elimination of inaccurate or unnecessary procedures
and policies. Improper procedures can also increase
the manual handling time of machineries due to longer
downtimes and lack of reliable equipments. Precision
lubrication is a must for the success of any workforce
that handles rotational equipments.