You’ve found the right lubricant for your equipment, but are you using the right amount? Both under greasing and over greasing can cause detrimental damage to your equipment.

Food grade lubricants are used during the production of food as well as food packaging (where there is direct product contact), tobacco products and animal feed. In the same way as any other lubricant they are used to protect against friction, wear, corrosion, heat and deposits and for the transmission of power. Food grade lubricants must comply with safe food regulations and be registered by the USA based NSF (National Sanitation Foundation). Products that are approved by the NSF as lubricants and release agents for the food industry are assigned to specific product codes (H1, H2, H3, HT1 and 3H) depending on their use. Understanding these different food grade lubrication classifications helps ensure optimal safety and compliance.

Using the correct lubricant for your equipment is one of the most effective ways that companies can extend equipment life, achieve performance/production levels and avoid unnecessary downtime. But how do you ensure that you are using the right one?

The most common cause of damage to lubricants is careless handling and storage resulting in damaged containers, moisture condensation, exposure to dust, dirt and extreme temperatures. Lubricating oils and greases that are not handled and stored correctly can quickly deteriorate or become contaminated. This in turn impacts shelf life, overall effectiveness and equipment reliability.

Selecting the correct lubricant is critical to the performance of your components and not all lubricants are suitable for every application. There are various operating conditions, such as temperature and speed, that need to be taken into consideration otherwise your component won’t be adequately protected from wear and corrosion. In some instances, using the wrong lubricant may even shorten the life of your equipment.

Evaporation loss is an important characteristic of lubricants especially in applications where high temperatures occur.