Efficient Plant April 2021 - 24

grease standards

Grease
Spec
Helps
Protect
Assets
MOST INDUSTRIAL-GREASE
applications require more performance than can be provided by the
wide range of general-purpose greases
available on the market. The challenge
in identifying and manufacturing
high-performance greases is that, until
now, no independent entity had established a performance specification. In
August 2019, NLGI, formerly known
as the National Lubricating Grease
Institute, Liberty, MO (nlgi.org),
assembled a global team of grease
and application experts to create the
needed industry specification.
NLGI's team set " challenging but
achievable " performance requirements for its High-Performance
Multiuse (HPM) grease specification, which was approved by NLGI's
23-member board in the fall of 2020.
The HPM specification changes the
landscape for grease users.

The High-Performance Multiuse grease certification provides a foundation for selecting grease needed to
meet the goal of maintaining your equipment assets.

HOW THE HPM GREASE
SPECIFICATION BENEFITS YOUR
MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES.
Eliminating downtime and reducing operating
costs are critical to your operations. A first
step to protecting your assets will be to use a
product certified to the HPM grease specification. The HPM grease specification provides
a level of trust since greases certified to the
performance standard are tested to the stringent requirements set by NLGI, an organization
that has served the grease industry since 1933.
Before a grease is certified and a HPM trademark applied, a series of tests is performed by
an independent, third-party laboratory. Once
certified, an annual audit process assures that
formulations continue to meet specifications.

DOES HPM CERTIFICATION
COVER ALL APPLICATIONS?

Learn more about NLGI's programs,
educational events, and HPM certifications
at nlgi.org.

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EP2104rmcgrease.indd 24

Because lubricating applications are complex,
creators of the HPM grease specification
recommend working with a technical grease
expert. There are specialty applications where

HPM-certified grease may not be applicable,
i.e., excessive loads or extremely low temperature environments. Equipment manufacturers
may also have specific performance requirements that can be compared to the HPM grease
specification.
Since your plant environment may have
special considerations that sometimes affect
a lubricating grease, the HPM grease specification defines enhancement tags, such as
corrosion resistance to salt water, operation at
low temperatures, high load conditions, and
resistance to water washout or spray off. The
enhancements are available to grease manufacturers as an addition to the core HPM grease
certification process.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR HPMCERTIFIED GREASES?
NLGI has started accepting applications from
grease manufacturers and marketers for the
HPM certification program and expects several
companies to offer grease with the HPM trademark as the year progresses. EP

APRIL 2021

3/26/21 8:45 AM

http://www.nlgi.org http://www.nlgi.org http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Efficient Plant April 2021

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