Lubrication Technician – Gyratory Crusher

Lubrication Technician – Gyratory Crusher

Job Purpose

To perform all lubrication-related inspections, maintenance, monitoring, sampling, and troubleshooting required to ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of primary gyratory crushers. This role ensures lubrication integrity, correct oil properties, and the health of bearings, bushings, hydraulic components, and cooling circuits essential to crusher longevity.

Key Responsibilities

Routine Lubrication System Inspections

• Perform daily and weekly lubrication system checks including oil temperature, oil pressure, leaks, cooler flow, filter condition, and lubrication circuit health.
• Verify lubrication system performance since it is the critical lifeline of gyratory crusher bearings and moving components.
• Inspect lubrication chambers, seals, and connections to prevent contamination from dust and moisture.

Oil Quality Management

• Sample lubrication oil regularly and analyse for contaminants such as metal particles, moisture, and degradation products.
• Ensure oil is replaced at recommended intervals and maintain strict cleanliness when filling or topping up lubrication systems.
• Confirm lubrication system flushing is done before commissioning or restart to remove debris that can cause premature wear.

Monitoring & Instrumentation Support

• Monitor lubrication-related sensors using systems such as:
• TIMS (Tank Instrumentation Monitoring System) for real‑time lube flow, temperature, and pressure.
• Intelligent lubrication monitoring used in advanced gyratory crushers, supporting predictive maintenance.
• Record abnormal readings and support predictive diagnostics to reduce unplanned downtime by identifying early‑warning lubrication failures.

Component Lubrication & Wear Support

• Assist with lubrication-related tasks for mechanical components including bushings, main shaft bearings, spider bearings, hydraulic pistons, and eccentric assemblies.
• Monitor wear-related indicators linked to lubrication performance, such as bushing clearances, temperature spikes, and chamber ingress conditions.

Fault Finding & Troubleshooting

• Identify and resolve lubrication issues such as low pressure, restricted flow, overheating oil, contamination, cavitation, filter blockages, or pump failures.
• Assist in diagnosing lubrication‑related root causes for eccentric assembly wear or bearing damage, which often originate from lubrication film breakdown or incorrect tolerances.

Compliance & Safety

• Follow strict lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures and verify zero energy before performing lubrication tasks.
• Maintain lubrication logs, oil sample records, filter change logs, and inspection sheets.
• Ensure all lubrication work adheres to OEM guidelines and site safety standards.

Skills & Competencies

• Technical Competencies
• Strong understanding of lubrication systems including pumps, coolers, filters, valves, pressure regulators, and sensors.
• Ability to identify oil contamination patterns and correlate them with equipment behaviour (e.g., wear particles, water ingress).
• Competent in reading lubrication schematics, flow diagrams, and interpreting sensor data from systems like TIMS and intelligent diagnostics.

Operational Competencies

• Skilled at performing scheduled lubrication tasks under production pressure.
• Able to contribute to predictive maintenance through data‑driven observations.
• Familiar with crusher shutdown/startup lubrication procedures.

Qualifications & Experience

• Lubrication Technician qualification, Mechanical Assistant background, or equivalent trade-level certification.
• 3–4 years experience in lubrication roles within mining or heavy industry.
• Experience working with primary gyratory crushers or high‑pressure lubrication circuits (advantageous).
• Familiarity with OEM systems such as Metso (Technical Info Management Systems) or Tramp Steel Unbalanced Vibration digital monitoring platforms.