LUBRICATION EXCELLENCE: The Invisible Foundation of Reliability (The Smart Maintenance 4.0 Library)

What This Book IsLubrication Excellence is a comprehensive, plant-floor guide to building a lubrication program that actually works. Written by Jason McIlrath, a veteran maintenance leader and reliability engineer with decades of real-world experience, this book strips away the academic theory and vendor noise to deliver practical guidance you can implement immediately.This isn't a tribology textbook. It's not a product catalog. It's a working professional's manual for:Understanding what lubrication actually does—and why "good enough" is slowly killing your equipmentSelecting the right lubricants for every application—oils, greases, and specialty products matched to real operating conditionsFighting contamination—the silent killer responsible for more equipment damage than any other factorApplying lubricants correctly—calculated quantities, proper techniques, and the end of "pump until it purges"Using oil analysis as a diagnostic tool—not just a checkbox, but a window into your equipment's healthBuilding sustainable programs with routes, standards, training, and metrics that survive personnel changes and budget pressuresWhat's Inside41 chapters covering every aspect of lubrication excellence:The Truth About Lubrication — Why programs fail, what lubrication actually does, and the hidden costs of neglectUnderstanding Lubricants — Oils, greases, and specialty products explained for practitioners, not PhDsContamination Control — Storage, handling, filtration, and the war you're probably losingApplication Methods — Manual lubrication, automatic systems, oil changes, and route management done rightOil Analysis — Sampling, interpretation, and closing the loop between data and actionEquipment-Specific Guidance — Bearings, gearboxes, hydraulics, compressors, motors, chains, couplings, and open gearsBuilding the Program — Assessment, surveys, procedures, roles, training, and CMMS integrationSustaining Excellence — Metrics, auditing, continuous improvement, and the culture that keeps programs aliveAdvanced Topics — Energy efficiency, IoT and smart lubrication, harsh environments, and vendor partnershipsMaking It Real — The 90-day turnaround, building the business case, and guidance for technicians building their careersPlus 10 appendices with compatibility charts, ISO references, calculation formulas, survey templates, audit checklists, and more. Read more