LUBEChecker - Bearing Lubrication Control

Overview

LUBEChecker is a portable ultrasound detector from SDT. It measures friction inside a bearing while you lubricate it and tells you when to stop. It is the entry point into condition-based lubrication: one device, one job, no software and no database. For a lubrication program across an entire equipment fleet, with measurement history, a purchasing plan, and work orders, SDT's line includes LUBExpert.

Why calendar-based greasing falls short

Consumption formulas and maintenance schedules don't account for actual load, temperature, or a bearing that has already started to wear. When plants that used to grease on a fixed schedule switched to ultrasound-based control, SDT found roughly 70% of grease points were over-lubricated, another 15% or so under-lubricated, and only about 15% correctly greased (see 70% of lubrication points are over-greased for the full breakdown). Both over- and under-lubrication raise the friction level in a bearing. The difference is that only an instrument catches it — not the eye.

• Over-lubrication — excess pressure on seals, overheating, faster wear on the raceways
• Under-lubrication — dry friction, wear, premature failure

How LUBEChecker guides the dose

While you grease a bearing, the unit continuously measures the ultrasound friction level and shows it on screen in real time. While the level keeps falling, the bearing still needs grease and you can keep going. Once the drop stops or the reading starts climbing again, the point has enough grease — anything more is over-lubrication.

Method

1. Baseline reading — before lubrication starts
2. Half shot — apply a small amount of grease
3. 3–5 second pause — let the signal settle
4. Check the level — compare with the previous reading
5. Repeat — add another half shot if the level is still dropping
6. Stop — as soon as the level stops falling or turns back up

Applications

Bearing types

Ball, roller (cylindrical and tapered), self-aligning spherical, and needle bearings — the method is the same across all of them, since the unit responds to friction, not to bearing geometry.

Equipment

Electric motors of any size, pumps (centrifugal and reciprocating), compressors (screw and reciprocating), fans, conveyor rollers and drums, gearbox bearings.

Industries

Manufacturing, oil and gas, power generation, mining, pulp and paper, food and beverage.

Role in a reliability program

LUBEChecker is built for Operator Driven Reliability (ODR): programs where equipment operators do the lubrication, not just reliability specialists. It gives the operator an objective stopping point instead of "top it up to what the datasheet says," and the reading can be logged by hand on the round sheet.

In the REA Hellas paper mill case in Greece, bearings were failing after about a month instead of their expected service life, and switching to a bearing with less internal clearance didn't fix it. A LUBEChecker audit found the real cause: every point was being over-greased on a calendar schedule. Switching to friction-signal-based lubrication resolved it.

A typical growth path:

1. LUBEChecker — daily condition-based lubrication, run by operators
2. LUBExpert — bearing database, Shopping List, Work Orders, and Guided Mode for running a program across dozens or hundreds of points
3. SDT340 with the Dynamic option — full trend analysis of bearing condition

Firmware update and the streaming screen

SDT Updater is free software that adds a second screen mode to the unit:

1. Download SDT Updater from the SDT website
2. Connect LUBEChecker to a computer over USB
3. Run the update. Windows installs the driver automatically
4. After the update, the On/Off button switches between two modes:
   • Default Screen — a single numeric reading
   • Streaming Screen — a live histogram of the signal, useful for catching the exact moment the trend turns, especially when greasing under load

Checker Range

LUBEChecker is part of SDT's family of single-purpose detectors:

• LEAKChecker — compressed air and gas leaks
• LUBEChecker — bearing lubrication control
• TRAPChecker — steam trap testing
• TIGHTChecker — tightness testing
• HATCHecker — ship hatch tightness
• ULTRAChecker — general-purpose ultrasound detector

When LUBEChecker makes sense

LUBEChecker is a good fit if grease is still being applied by eye or strictly by calendar and you need a simple tool for operators with no diagnostics training. It also works well for a lubrication program at the starting line, before a bearing database and reporting are needed, or when budget is limited to one portable unit with no software.

For a program across a large equipment fleet, with measurement history at every point, a grease purchasing plan, and work orders, the next step is LUBExpert.