Part 1
Theoretical and Foundational Knowledge
Bob Lees, CMRP, CRL, CAT3 VIB, UT CAT1 and CAT2, corporate instructor and mentor.
Bob Lees began his career as a millwright and steam engineer at a major Canadian pulp and paper company. His 43 years’ experience includes working in virtually every aspect of the paper making process, including master mechanic, condition monitoring technician, lubrication engineer, vibration analyst, and ultrasound inspector.
Approaching retirement, he studied the intricacies of adult education and became a Certified Adult Instructor. His approach to educating combines practical and theoretical teachings. Bob is aligned to SDT’s core belief that competencies come only through the dedication to lifelong learning.
Since his retirement from active service at the mill, Bob regularly delivers in-person training to hundreds of condition monitoring practitioners around the world. He is a frequent speaker at conferences such as The Reliability Conference, The International Maintenance Conference, and EuroMaintenance.
Join Bob as he introduces you to the principle concepts of ultrasound theory. He’ll explain the basics of ultrasound as they apply to acoustic-driven grease replenishment of rolling element bearings.
There are two main types of ultrasound sensors used in condition monitoring programs; Airborne and Structure-Borne. Bob explains how these ultrasound sensor works to gather information about asset condition for processing by the LUBExpert data collector. He explains sensor placement, boundary behaviours, and how to choose the right sensor for any application.
Module 3 – The Eight Application Pillars
There are eight key areas where ultrasound is useful for ensuring asset reliability. Bob reveals these 8-pillars while connecting the dots between Foundational Knowledge and Practical Applications. Understanding the pillars prepares you to deploy ultrasound in ways you never imagined.
Module 4 – SDT’s Four Conition Indicators
Bob explains SDT’s measurement outcomes known as the Four Condition Indicators, or simply “4CI.” Understanding these unique feedback mechanisms empowers you to make early connections between deteriorating assets and assets nearing failure and “end of life”. Bob presents examples of how 4CI takes inspections beyond the single decibel.
We have been using water, tallow, or oil to help lubricate surfaces for almost 4,000 years. Yet in many instances we still get it horribly wrong. Bob explains how maintaining a thin film of lubricant between the rolling elements of a bearing is a precision science.
The guesswork of calendar-based intervals may have been the best science prior, but times have changed. Technology and knowledge exist to extract the full engineered life from.
Throughout his career Bob watched countless lube technicians inject grease into bearings without really understanding “why”. They only knew there was a work order that said, “grease that bearing.”
In module 6, Bob describes the how to create a strong lubrication structure in the warzone of every bearing. Learn the impact that vibration, age, and temperature have on the destruction of the greasing mechanism and what every lube tech must do to rebuild it once it happens.
Bob walks you through how the greasing mechanism is built and maintained for the life of the bearing. He explains the churning and bleeding phases that grease lives in and how we destroy the greasing mechanism with poor practices that are more a product of untrained technicians and poor workmanship.
Module 8 – FMEA for Lube Programs
Many sources cite poor lubrication practices accounting for 40-80% of all premature bearing failures. In module 8 Bob reveals those bad practices, describes their failure modes, and their impact on reliability.
Bob concludes Part 1 of LUBExpert Essentials by summarizing what every reliability leader must know to ensure those responsible for lubrication are both competent and capable.
Part 2
Program Implementation & Strategy Development
Haris Trobradović, CRL, ARP, MLA1, UA CAT1, UT L2, Corporate Instructor and Mentor.
Born and raised in Zagreb, Croatia, beautiful place with interesting innovation tradition, Haris Trobradović spent 20 years in wood processing and art, picture frames. Seven years ago he began his Ultrasound, Condition Monitoring and Reliability journey as a member of SDT International team.
Haris is focused on improvement of Reliability performance through all its aspects, still in particularly focused on Ultrasound technology, Condition Monitoring and, as a strong passion, Condition Based Lubrication. He is deeply involved in Reliability Culture improvement and proactive mindset through Lubrication excellence. Haris enjoys writing, publishing and presenting, but most of all learning.
Haris is a Certified Reliability Leader and Asset Reliability Practitioner, Machine Lubrication Analyst and Ultrasound Inspector and Implementation instructor.
Module 1 – More Than An Instrument
Haris addresses three important questions.
- “Why do we lubricate?”
- “Why do we need a lubrication strategy?”
- “Why do we need the LUBExpert solution?”
The answers to these questions will transform your lubrication culture in a way that every task, from this day forward, contributes to your organizational objectives.
Module 2 – Implement the Strategy
LUBExpert is a powerful, feature rich instrument. But it’s not about features; it’s about outcomes. Haris shows what benefits can be harvested by a results-driven lube strategy. Building that strategy starts in the office with UAS2, the software designed to manage every aspect of bearing lubrication.
Module 3 – LUBExpert Pratical A
Haris takes the LUBExpert instrument in hand and acquaints you with its internal brain. He explains how LUBExpert makes decisions based on logic built from real humans greasing thousands of bearings. Those experiences live inside the LUBExpert algorithm and the algorithm controls every aspect of the grease replenishment task.
Module 4 – LUBExpert Practical B
Haris continues his introduction to the LUBExpert Brain and how that brain thinks its way through the workflow of greasing a bearing. Follow along as Haris greases bearings live, demonstrating the need to identify proper choice of grease and grease gun, take initial readings, and apply grease as guided by either Free Mode or Guided Mode.
Module 5 – Steer the Strategy Based on Data A
Haris introduces the concept of using outcomes from completed greasing tasks to steer your lube strategy forward. Decisions today, and tomorrow are fed by data, not supposition. He insists there is no such thing as a fixed plan. Your lube strategy is something that changes continuously.
The only constant element of the strategy is that we will all grease bearings right. We will perform the replenishment at the highest level of excellence. And we will interconnect all stakeholders to our actions and outcomes.
Module 6 – Steer the Strategy Based on Data B
During his travels he’s witnessed different events, different problems, and different situations related to bearing replenishments. He shares those events in a single, reconstructed database so you can see the impact of LUBExpert deployed around the globe in one short module.
Haris helps you build your own strategy center based on practical events collected from thousands of bearings lubricated.
Dynamic measurements represent an advanced level of analysis and Haris discusses how dynamic data measurements can benefit LUBExpert technicians, analysts, and strategists; not just to arrive at a properly lubricated bearing, but to aid in steering the strategy toward achieving operational objectives.
Dynamic analysis creates a connection between the LUBE team and the Condition Monitoring team.
Module 8 – Implementation Challenges
Haris describes the challenges you’ll face during your implementation journey. You can avoid them, or you can face them but whatever direction you take, he wants to help you make the best possible decisions. This module is the final roadmap to your implementation where Haris describes all the tasks you will face to implement a precision, world-class lubrication program with a strategy that is driven by fact, not fiction.