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We are proud to announce that Summit Industrial
Products, Inc. is one of the first companies in our industry to
achieve ISO 14001 certification.
We are committed to protecting the environment, the health and
safety of our employees, customers and the communities where we
work and live. We recognize that through integrating sound
environmental health, and safety management practices into all
aspects of our business we can offer innovative products and
services while conserving and enhancing resources for future
generations. Summit has committed to take the appropriate
measures necessary to obtain this vision.
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Aerial View of Summit - Summer 2002
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Putting
Lubricant Testing to the Test If you're into
late night infomercials, you may have seen an interesting gadget: a portable test
apparatus that compares the load carrying characteristics of different oils.
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measures the effect of pressure placed on a lubricated rotating bearing. Although it's not
a scientific procedure and could even be considered a gimmick, we concede that, if
consistently administered, the test might be a fair indicator of the load carrying
properties of the oil.
However, while loading carrying properties are
an important consideration for some applications such as gear lubri cation, it is not the
primary concern for many others. In air compressor applications, for instance, the load
carrying properties are of much less importance than oxidation stability, thermal
stability, corrosion resistance, and water separation. To ignore these properties and make
a lubricant decision based on one questionable demonstration would not be prudent.
Below are some key questions that should be asked
of anyone promoting their product on the basis of one demonstration:
- Is the test recognized by ASTM?
- Are the samples certified to be exactly the same as represented on the container?
- Are standard laboratory procedures used in conducting the test?
- Is the test conducted in such a way as to ensure that bias could not affect the outcome?
- What additives are used to achieve such remarkable results? (Note: sulfur- and chlorine-
based additives can break down and react to form acidic compounds.)
- Is the test a fair representation of the long term effects of using the oil in any given
application?
- How relevant is the test to the specified application of the
oil? (Example: How relevant
is a load-carrying test for a lubricant designed for a rotary screw air compressor?)
- What happens to the additive in the presence of heat? Oxygen? Water?
- Will the anti-frictional effects of the additive be depleted before the expected life of
the lubricant itself?
- As the load-carrying additives are widely known and used for certain applications, why
would they not be applied in all applications?
Perhaps most important is what the
infomercials don't tell you. The additives which
enhance the load carrying properties of a lubricant can promote corrosion as well as
dramatically lessen a product's ability to deal with high temperatures and oxidation.
Before you buy a product you see promoted through this demonstration, be sure to put their
testing methods to the test.
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