In any mechanical system, various amounts of lubricant are used to keep the metal pieces from wearing against each other and breaking down. These lubricants, typically oil or hydraulic fluid, coat the moving metal parts, allowing them to slide across one another with limited amounts of friction. As long as the friction is kept to a minimum, and the oil or hydraulic fluids are free of debris, the machine runs smoothly.
The ISO 4406 provides the cleanliness standards for the number of particles of a certain size that are allowed within oils and hydraulic fluids, giving quality control departments guidelines to base their standards on for the individual company. As seen in the ISO 4406 chart, the range of particles allowed is measured by analyzing the number of particles in the 4, 6, and 14 micron range. With this information, manufacturers can determine if their liquids are up to standards.
However, when the lubricants are not up to cleanliness standards, the metal pieces can break down into wear particles that further contaminate the lubricants. These particles in liquid lubricants cause mechanical failure, leading to costly downtime or part replacement. In order to keep the machines running smoothly, manufacturers can either replace parts, often times unnecessarily, or can monitor the foreign particles in the liquids. As parts and downtime can be expensive, manufacturers have demanded a better way to monitor their systems for cleanliness without increasing costs.
To make monitoring the foreign particles simpler, Aspex has developed its Advanced Quality Control (AQC) software for its Personal Scanning Electron Microscope (PSEM). Able to do particle contamination analysis directly on the shop floor, the PSEM with AQC utilizes an industrialized electron beam to automatically detect, identify, and characterize micron-level debris. With the AQC, manufacturers can quickly and accurately identify the size, shape, and even elemental composition of the unwanted particles in oil and hydraulic fluid. This allows them to evaluate if a part needs replaced, if the lubricant needs replaced, and if the foreign particles are entering the system upstream.
The AQC for the PSEM by Aspex is changing the way manufacturers analyze particles in liquids. By providing automobile makers with this information, manufacturing and warranty failures can be reduced by upwards of 30%, in such areas as transmission assemblies and fuel injection systems. The potential benefits far outweigh the initial cost of installation, saving manufacturers parts, downtime, and failure costs, the AQC brings quality control to the shop floor.
Reference:
Aspex, http://www.aspexcorp.com/industries/industrial-automation.html
FluidLife, http://www.fluidlife.com/media/pdfs/understandingiso.pdf
