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It’s no secret that precision and reliability are the lifeblood of plastics manufacturing, where machinery operates under unforgiving conditions and tight tolerances. Yet, a silent saboteur — lubricant contamination — threatens to derail production, drive up costs and compromise equipment performance.

Enter clean lubricants: the unsung heroes of modern manufacturing. These meticulously filtered oils go beyond the basics, safeguarding critical components, slashing downtime and delivering greater cost-efficiency.

That’s why it’s important to break down the “3 C’s” of clean lubricants — consistency, care and cost-efficiency — so you can take these tips back to the floor to maximize efficiency in an increasingly competitive industry.

Consistency: Starting Clean

Clean lubricants are defined by their compliance with stringent OEM cleanliness codes. They often have particle counts significantly lower than “typical” lubricants (lubricants which are purchased from a distributor or retailer). While you might assume that “new” lubricants are inherently clean, this may not always be true. During transport and handling, they frequently pick up contaminants, resulting in higher particle counts which can compromise performance.

A key advantage of clean lubricants is their ability to meet OEM specifications from the outset, ensuring sensitive components like servovalves, hydraulic hoses and proportional control valves operate smoothly. According to industry experts, contaminants as small as a few microns can cause abrasion and fatigue in these parts, drastically shortening their lifespan to a fraction of what the manufacturer intended.

You can imagine how only getting a fourth of the expected life expectancy severely cuts into productivity and the bottom line. Beginning with truly clean and certified lubricants gives you a solid foundation to with which to start. However, while it is crucial to start with clean lubricants, it isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it situation.

Care: Staying Clean

Maintaining cleanliness over time is equally critical as starting out clean. Effective maintenance practices not only preserve the benefits of clean lubricants but also enhance the overall efficiency of the manufacturing process.

Key recommendations include:

High-Velocity Flushing: Before introducing lubricants to new equipment, high-velocity flushing is essential to remove debris accumulated during production and shipping.

Regular Oil Sampling: Frequent sampling, particularly during initial implementation, is crucial to establish a baseline and detect contaminants early. Testing intervals can be extended over time, but consistent oil analysis should always occur at the same intervals and locations to ensure data accuracy. Taking a sample from a location that is not representative of the oil’s condition is one of the most common errors we see in the field. For instance, incorrect readings can occur if oil is sampled after inline filtration or if a sample is taken from a part of the equipment where oil is not moving.

Contaminants as small as a few microns can cause abrasion and fatigue in key components, drastically shortening their lifespan to a fraction of what the manufacturer intended.

Proper Filtration Practices: Selecting the right filter size is critical. Filters with an overly low micron rating can inadvertently remove beneficial additives like foam inhibitors, while plugged filters can enable contaminants to bypass the system entirely. Companies often take on filtration tasks themselves, dedicating manpower that could be better utilized elsewhere. Ensuring proper filter maintenance and configuration helps avoid these pitfalls. As does considering the outsourcing of lubrication filtering.

Dedicated Containers: One of the biggest mistakes is using a container that has been applied for other purposes, resulting in contaminated samples. This can lead to spikes in wear metal readings and misinterpretation of results. Using clean, sealed containers for lubricant storage, testing and top-offs minimizes contamination risks (there are many companies on the market that specialize in oil sampling valves and containers which ensure easy and accurate fluid sampling).

Desiccant Breathers: Installing breathers prevents airborne particles from entering reservoirs, minimizing external contamination. Control airborne particles as much as possible by using these dedicated tools and ensuring reservoir caps remain sealed. Aside from these practical tips, behavioral changes are the most crucial for sustaining cleanliness. Poor practices, such as leaving reservoir caps off or using shared dipsticks, lead to inaccurate testing and results. Establishing a culture of proactive maintenance by educating frontline technicians and leadership teams on the economic and operational impacts of contamination reinforces the importance of these practices.

Cost-Efficiency: The Economic Case for Clean Lubricants

Although clean lubricants may involve a higher upfront cost, their long-term economic advantages make them a worthwhile investment. Contaminated lubricants accelerate wear on components, leading to frequent breakdowns, increased downtime and costly repairs. Clean lubricants mitigate these issues, extending equipment life and reducing replacement costs.

Consider the cost differential between planned maintenance and unplanned downtime. Equipment failures caused by oil contamination can halt production, leading to significant financial losses. Starting with clean lubricants minimizes the risk of unexpected failures, enabling you to extend equipment life, reduce replacement costs and focus on productivity.

Case Studies: Demonstrating Real-World Success

A leading plastic packaging manufacturer producing high-quality rigid containers faced significant contamination issues in its hydraulic systems. The cleanliness of its existing hydraulic fluid consistently failed to meet the ISO cleanliness code of 14/12/10 specified by its injection molding equipment manufacturer. In fact, the hydraulic fluid’s contamination levels were measured at 17/15/11 — eight times above the recommended threshold. This discrepancy increased system wear, reduced operational efficiency and led to frequent equipment failures​.

Consistent oil analysis should always occur at the same intervals and locations to ensure data accuracy.

After assessing its maintenance practices, the manufacturer adopted a clean lubricant program designed to “start clean and stay clean.” By using prefiltered lubricants meeting ISO cleanliness standards, the company eliminated the need for costly and labor-intensive prefiltration at the site. This shift not only doubled the expected lifespan of its hydraulic systems but also freed up maintenance personnel to focus on routine upkeep, enhancing overall productivity. Over time, the manufacturer observed a 3–5% reduction in its annual maintenance budget due to decreased machine downtime and rejection rates, showcasing the transformative impact of clean lubricants​.

Another example is when a manufacturer of organization and transport products encountered frequent failures in servovalves and hydraulic pumps caused by oil contamination. Upon investigation, the ISO cleanliness levels of its standard AW46 hydraulic oil were found to average 20/17/14, significantly exceeding the OEM’s acceptable specification of 16/14/11. This level of contamination reduced component life by threefold, leading to excessive downtime and inflated maintenance costs​.

To address these challenges, the company implemented a certified lubricants program and achieved significant improvements in system reliability by ensuring all hydraulic oil met or exceeded OEM cleanliness codes. Additionally, it adopted a kanban system to monitor oil usage and implemented a smart label and chart system to streamline maintenance processes.

Within the first year of implementation, servovalve and hydraulic pump failures decreased by over 60%, saving the company approximately $115,000 annually. The initiative also resulted in a dramatic increase in their overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), showing the economic and operational benefits of clean lubricants​.

Take Baby Steps

Implementing clean lubricants begins with small, deliberate steps — building from the ground up with frontline technicians and senior leaders to create a unified approach that balances education and gradual adoption, ensuring everyone understands the bottom-line impact of clean practices and the risks of poor maintenance.

Clean lubricants are more than a technical upgrade. They represent a strategic investment in consistency, care and cost efficiency critical to plastics manufacturers.

About the author: Chad Bertrand is the Americas ISOCLEAN and Reliability Services Program Manager for . He oversees all aspects of Chevron’s ISOCLEAN Certified Clean Lubricants Program as well as the LubeWatch oil-analysis program, focusing on optimizing reliability to maximize equipment productivity. He has been with Chevron for 24 years and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Contact: 510-242-2000; ChadBertrand@chevron.com.