Learn used oil analysis sample testing, lubrication reliability maintenance, predictive lab diagnostics to reduce costs & boost profits.

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Latest & Popular Articles

See the latest and most popular articles on oil analysis that have been posted to find out more about how oil analysis works and the benefits it could be doing for you.

This article will answer the following questions:


How do I identify the cause of a machine failure?


Why do bearings fail?


How do I prevent loss of production / increase asset utilisation?


This was an interesting sample I came across recently, I thought I would make into a case study. The bearing on a conveyor line in a food production factory failed suddenly causing a whole production process to go down. The bearing was sent to the manufacturer and the grease was sent t...

Case study: failed greased bearing cost £100k by not sampling. Don't make the same mistake and have regular oil & grease analysis

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Foam in a lubricated system can be a real problem. That is because foam is a poor lubricant and can cause significant wear within a lubricated system if the lubricant film is replaced with foam. However, most foam people talk about in lubricated systems is cosmetic foam. This is foam that can spill over the side of machines during operation and although there is a slip hazard from the oil spilling over, most of this foam never reaches the parts of the system where it could cause damage. This is ...

Detecting Lubricant Foaming. What it means and is there a better way to test?

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This article will answer the following questions?

When is the best time to change my oil?



Can I miss an oil change?


How can I make my lubricating oil last longer?


There are a few types of maintenance strategies a company can adopt. You can do run to failure aka reactive maintenance, which for when the machine is working, is very little effort, but causes a mad panic and rush when it fails without warning. This loss of uptime on the machine can lead to machinery operator...

Changing components based on predicted life models is just a best guess. You need a condition based reliability approach to maintenance starting with oil analysis.

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This article will answer the following questions:

How to reduce lube oils costs and cheaper lubricant bills?


How to extend oil drain change intervals?
How to effectively plan cheaper oil changes?

If it costs you £50k to change your oil you are naturally going to be cautious about doing so without needing to. So traditional approaches of changing your oil E.g. every 3 years don’t really seem to add up if your oil could go for 4 years, whilst the cost of the machinery failure ...

Why partial oil changes don't make financial sense.

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In the current climate we are all in, with increasing restrictions on our lives and higher awareness of infectious diseases transmission, ensuring the nation keeps going through this is more important than ever. Many of our customers simply can not afford to shut down as they are in key industries that are keeping the nation going such as:



Food production.UK business transport infrastructurePower generation of the electricity we all need including coal mines, gas engines, wind farms and power...

COVID-19 - protecting your machinery as well as yourself when failure is not an option.

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All machines wear, that's a fact. It doesn't matter how great your lubricant is, nothing can stop wear taking place entirely when there are moving parts.
So why does wear happen in the first place?Wear is a normal part of your machinery health. No surface is perfectly smooth and even when you look at metal surfaces with a mirror smooth finish, at the microscopic scale the surface looks like a mountain range. These microscopic surface imperfections are called asperities. When a new machine starts...

What's the difference between normal and abnormal wear?

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This article will answer the following questions:


How do I identify the cause of a machine failure?


Why do bearings fail?


How do I prevent loss of production / increase asset utilisation?


This was an interesting sample I came across recently, I thought I would make into a case study. The bearing on a conveyor line in a food production factory failed suddenly causing a whole production process to go down. The bearing was sent to the manufacturer and the grease was sent t...

Case study: failed greased bearing cost £100k by not sampling. Don't make the same mistake and have regular oil & grease analysis

Read More

Why Oil Analysis Matters?

Oil Analysis is used by people just like you all over the world to reduce machinery downtime and improve equipment reliability. A small sample of oil from your machinery can provide as much information as a full machine strip down at a fraction of the cost and has been a proven technology for over 60 years to reduce forced shutdowns and failure repair costs. Want to understand how oil and grease analysis works and how it applies to you then watch this short video below.

How Much Can Oil Analysis Save Me?

Oil analysis is a brilliant tool that can save you money each time you sample. The returns on investment vary depending on your machinery type, so feel free to use our sister sites cost saving calculator at the bottom of their FAQ Page.

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By registering for free to our quarterly newsletter and logging in you can read the industry leading textbook series on oil analysis “Learn Oil Analysis”

Ask a question

Ask a question on oil analysis directly to the site author. This can also include requests on how and with whom to start fluid sampling. You can also contact the author on linkedin.

See our Training Courses

Register for free and get access to some of our great short oil analysis training training courses. Content is updated regularly and includes explanation of tests, sources of wear, how to take a sample and the benefits of oil Sampling. You can also book a dedicated training day for you and your team too or enquire about our deluxe online training programmes.

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Get your oil tested

If you have never had your oil tested before then what are you waiting for and get in contact with a lab today. There are many reputable labs all across the world that offer excellent oil analysis services you can use including our sister lab – Oil Analysis Laboratories, which is the only lab in the world to offer the LubeWear test. LubeWear identifies abnormal wear far earlier than traditional wear metal analysis techniques meaning you can catch faults earlier to keep your machine reliability at its highest. A brief video explanation of the rest can be viewed below.