Lubrication Points and Schedules

Problem

When lubrication is neglected, metal surfaces contact metal: friction rises, heat builds, wear particles circulate, and bearings that should last for years fail in weeks. Operators hear it before they see it — new noise and vibration from the drive, film transport or sealing assemblies, followed by drift and eventual stoppage.

Possible Causes

1. Lubrication rounds are skipped or done from memory instead of the machine's point list.
2. The wrong lubricant is substituted because the specified one was out of stock.
3. Points are lubricated but fittings are not cleaned first, pushing contaminants in.
4. Completed points and dates are not recorded, so rounds silently stop being complete.
5. Intervals are assumed from generic guidance instead of the delivered machine manual.

What to Check

• STEP 1Get the point list from your machine manual.The delivered documentation names every lubrication point, the lubricant type and the interval — this page deliberately does not.
• STEP 2Use the specified lubricant only.Grease and oil are not interchangeable, and generic multi-purpose greases can be incompatible with the machine's components and any food-contact requirements of your application.
• STEP 3Isolate the machine before the round.Follow the lockout procedure in your manual — never lubricate moving assemblies.
• STEP 4Clean each fitting before greasing.Wipe fittings and surrounding surfaces so contamination is not pushed into the bearing.
• STEP 5Record date, point and lubricant.A signed record turns lubrication from an intention into a routine the next shift can continue.

Corrective Actions

• Rebuild the routine around the manual's point list, not habit — post the list at the machine.
• Stock the specified lubricants so substitution never becomes the easy path.
• Listen for new noise and feel for abnormal heat during operation — both are early lubrication-failure signals worth logging.
• When a bearing already runs rough, schedule replacement instead of over-greasing to mask it.