Machinery Lubricant Analyst
MLA I
Develop practical knowledge in machinery lubrication, lubricant selection, contamination control, oil sampling, oil analysis and lubricant health monitoring for industrial equipment.
Build a Strong Foundation in Machinery Lubrication & Oil Analysis
The ORBITLINE Machinery Lubricant Analyst I training is designed for maintenance, lubrication, reliability and condition monitoring professionals who need practical knowledge of industrial lubricants and lubricant-based machinery condition monitoring.
Participants learn the fundamentals of tribology, viscosity, base oils, additives, grease, lubricant selection, lubricant application, contamination control, filtration and proper oil sampling techniques.
The course also introduces lubricant degradation, viscosity monitoring, acid and base numbers, FTIR, elemental spectroscopy and wear debris monitoring to help participants understand how oil analysis can identify developing machinery and lubrication problems.
Practical industrial examples are used throughout the training to connect lubrication theory with pumps, gearboxes, hydraulic systems, bearings, compressors and other critical equipment.
MLA I Core Skills
Designed for Lubrication & Reliability Professionals
Ideal for personnel responsible for lubricant condition, machine lubrication, oil sampling, maintenance and reliability improvement.
Lubrication Technicians
Personnel responsible for oil changes, grease application, lubrication routes and lubricant handling.
Condition Monitoring Engineers
Professionals using oil analysis alongside vibration, thermography and other predictive technologies.
Reliability Engineers
Engineers responsible for reducing lubrication-related failures and improving equipment reliability.
Maintenance Engineers
Engineers responsible for rotating equipment maintenance and lubricant-related troubleshooting.
Mechanical Technicians
Personnel working directly with bearings, gearboxes, hydraulic systems, compressors and other machinery.
Oil Analysis Personnel
Professionals responsible for oil sampling, laboratory report review and lubricant condition assessment.
What You Will Learn
Develop the practical lubrication and oil-analysis knowledge needed to help control lubricant-related machinery failures.
Understand friction, wear, lubrication regimes and the functions of industrial lubricants.
Understand viscosity, base-oil selection, additives and machine-specific lubricant requirements.
Understand grease thickeners, compatibility, consistency, application methods and re-greasing principles.
Understand filtration, water removal and cleanliness control for industrial lubrication systems.
Select suitable sampling locations and collect clean, representative lubricant samples.
Recognize oxidation, thermal degradation, additive depletion and lubricant mixing.
Understand common tests such as viscosity, acid number, base number, FTIR and spectroscopy.
Understand how lubricant analysis can indicate abnormal machine wear and developing mechanical problems.
Training Topic Distribution
The course structure follows the major subject areas associated with Machinery Lubricant Analyst I development.
Maintenance Strategy
10%Lubrication Fundamentals
18%Lubricant Selection
10%Lubricant Application
18%Storage & Management
10%Condition Control
10%Oil Sampling
10%Lubricant Health
10%Wear Debris
4%Machinery Lubricant Analyst I Topics
Select each module to explore the topics covered during the training.
Module 01 — Maintenance Strategy & Lubrication Excellence
- Why industrial machines fail
- Lubrication-related failure mechanisms
- Impact of poor lubrication on reliability and cost
- Preventive versus predictive maintenance
- Lubrication routes and scheduling
- Equipment tagging and identification
- Role of oil analysis in condition monitoring
- Lubrication program best practices
Module 02 — Tribology & Lubrication Fundamentals
- Introduction to tribology
- Friction and wear
- Functions of a lubricant
- Lubricant film formation
- Hydrodynamic lubrication
- Elastohydrodynamic lubrication
- Boundary lubrication
- Mixed-film lubrication
- Viscosity fundamentals
- Viscosity Index
- Temperature and viscosity relationship
Module 03 — Base Oils & Additives
- Mineral base oils
- Synthetic base oils
- Base-oil properties
- Oxidation stability
- Anti-wear additives
- Extreme pressure additives
- Antioxidants
- Rust and corrosion inhibitors
- Detergents and dispersants
- Viscosity index improvers
- Anti-foam additives
- Demulsifiers
Module 04 — Grease Lubrication
- How lubricating grease is manufactured
- Base oil, thickener and additives
- Lithium and lithium complex grease
- Calcium and calcium sulfonate grease
- Polyurea grease
- Grease consistency
- NLGI grades
- Grease compatibility
- Oil separation and bleeding
- Over-greasing
- Under-greasing
- Grease application practices
Module 05 — Lubricant Selection
- Selecting the correct viscosity
- ISO viscosity grades
- Base-oil selection
- Additive-system selection
- Operating temperature effects
- Speed and load considerations
- Environmental considerations
- Hydraulic fluid selection
- Bearing lubricant selection
- Journal bearing lubrication
- Gear and gearbox lubricant selection
- Reciprocating equipment lubrication
Module 06 — Lubricant Application
- Oil versus grease lubrication
- Determining lubricant quantity
- Re-lubrication intervals
- Manual lubrication practices
- Grease gun application
- Automatic grease systems
- Single-point lubricators
- Oil mist lubrication
- Drip lubrication
- Wick lubrication
- Maintaining automatic lubrication systems
Module 07 — Lubricant Storage & Handling
- Lubricant receiving inspection
- Correct lubricant identification
- Storage-room best practices
- Oil drum storage
- Bulk oil storage
- Dedicated transfer containers
- Color coding and identification
- Preventing lubricant cross-contamination
- Grease gun identification and storage
- FIFO inventory management
- Lubricant shelf-life considerations
- Health and safety
Module 08 — Contamination Control
- Why contamination damages machinery
- Particle contamination
- Water contamination
- Air and foam
- Dirt ingress control
- Breathers and desiccant breathers
- Seals and contamination exclusion
- Offline filtration
- Kidney-loop filtration
- Filter ratings
- Beta ratio concepts
- Absolute versus nominal filtration
- Water separation technologies
Module 09 — Oil Cleanliness & Particle Counting
- Why oil cleanliness matters
- Particle size concepts
- ISO 4406 cleanliness coding
- Particle count trends
- Setting cleanliness targets
- Sources of particle contamination
- Filter performance
- Clean oil transfer practices
- Contamination control strategy
Module 10 — Oil Sampling
- Objectives of oil sampling
- Representative sampling
- Primary sampling locations
- Secondary sampling locations
- Live-zone sampling
- Sampling valves
- Drop-tube sampling limitations
- Sampling from pressurized lines
- Sampling bottle cleanliness
- Flushing sampling hardware
- Machine operating condition during sampling
- Sampling frequency
- Sample labeling and documentation
Module 11 — Lubricant Degradation
- Oil oxidation
- Causes of oxidation
- Temperature effects
- Air entrainment
- Water effects
- Thermal degradation
- Additive depletion
- Sludge formation
- Varnish formation
- Wrong or mixed lubricant detection
- Lubricant degradation trends
Module 12 — Oil Analysis Fundamentals
- Purpose of oil analysis
- Lubricant health analysis
- Contamination monitoring
- Machine wear monitoring
- Baseline oil testing
- Trend analysis
- Alarm limits
- Interpreting laboratory reports
- Understanding abnormal test results
- Developing maintenance recommendations
Module 13 — Viscosity Analysis
- Kinematic viscosity
- Dynamic viscosity
- Viscosity measurement units
- Viscosity Index
- High viscosity causes
- Low viscosity causes
- Fuel or solvent dilution
- Oxidation-related viscosity increase
- Wrong oil contamination
- Viscosity trending
Module 14 — Lubricant Health Tests
- Acid Number – AN
- Base Number – BN
- Fourier Transform Infrared – FTIR
- Oxidation monitoring
- Additive depletion
- Ruler / RPVOT concepts
- Elemental spectroscopy
- Interpreting lubricant health trends
Module 15 — Water Contamination
- Dissolved water
- Emulsified water
- Free water
- Sources of water ingress
- Effect of water on bearings
- Effect of water on additives
- Effect of water on oxidation
- Crackle test concepts
- Karl Fischer testing concepts
- Water removal methods
- Vacuum dehydration
- Centrifugal separation
Module 16 — Wear Debris Monitoring
- Why machine components wear
- Abrasive wear
- Adhesive wear
- Fatigue wear
- Corrosive wear
- Wear metals
- Iron monitoring
- Copper monitoring
- Chromium monitoring
- Aluminum monitoring
- Elemental spectroscopy
- Wear debris trend interpretation
Module 17 — Machine-Specific Oil Analysis
- Gearbox oil analysis
- Hydraulic system oil analysis
- Bearing lubrication monitoring
- Compressor lubricant monitoring
- Turbine oil monitoring
- Pump lubrication systems
- Circulating oil systems
- Common lubricant failure patterns
Module 18 — Practical Oil Analysis Case Studies
- High particle count investigation
- Water contamination case
- Viscosity decrease case
- Viscosity increase case
- Oxidation case
- Abnormal iron wear case
- Copper wear case
- Wrong lubricant case
- Filtration improvement case
- Oil cleanliness improvement case
- Lubricant life-extension strategy
Tests Introduced During the Course
Participants learn what common oil-analysis tests measure, why they are used and how abnormal trends can relate to lubricant and machinery condition.
Training Details
Training Duration
24 hours of instructor-led training covering the principal MLA I subject areas.
Training Level
Foundation and intermediate-level machinery lubrication and lubricant-analysis training.
Training Method
Instructor-led theory, lubricant examples, oil-analysis reports, calculations and industrial case studies.
Training Format
Public classroom sessions and private customer-site training can be arranged.
Applications
Gearboxes, hydraulic systems, bearings, compressors, turbines and circulating lubrication systems.
Corporate Training
Private training can be customized for lubrication, maintenance and reliability teams.
Oil Analysis Connected to Real Reliability Decisions
Learn how lubrication and oil-analysis findings can be translated into practical actions that improve machinery health and reliability.
Practical Oil Analysis
Learn using actual oil-analysis parameters and realistic industrial machinery conditions.
Lubrication Reliability
Understand how correct lubrication reduces wear, contamination and premature equipment failure.
Real Case Studies
Review practical examples involving water, viscosity, particles, wear metals and lubricant degradation.
Condition Monitoring Focus
Connect oil analysis with machinery condition and maintenance decision-making.
Build Your Oil Analysis & Lubrication Skills
Contact ORBITLINE for upcoming MLA I training dates, pricing, corporate registration or private on-site training.