Extruder Gearbox
The lubricant is dirty and showing extreme wear. The number of iron particles is 785 and should be 25 or less. The lubricant is listed as an AGMA 6 which should have a viscosity of 320 but it measures 265 cSt. There is a high PQ index indicating large amounts of ferrous materials being removed. The amount of water has tripled since the last sample. The additive package has changed significantly indicating this is not the same lubricant previously tested.
CME asked customer to verify the lubricant and recommended a hot oil flush to remove the large amount of wear metals and refill with the correct lubricant. If that is not possible, the lubricant should be changed and a filtration system should be attached and filter with a 7 micron beta 1,000 filter.
The customer changed the correct oil and 336 hours of downtime were prevented.
