Please describe one valuable idea, technique, strategy, conversation, solution or piece of information you picked up at STLE’s 2010 Annual Meeting.
TLT Sounding Board July 2010
The sessions on surface engineering and solid lubricants were very good and improved my vision for new technologies and applications.
From the MWF 125 course, I learned a lot about how to use sampling and data to effectively report and control bacterial and fungi contamination in metalworking fluids.
The meeting was a great chance to talk with mechanical seal suppliers on issues regarding design, manufacturing, testing, coatings, etc.
I’m new to the industry. The education courses provide a good entry way.
I met several new business contacts at the trade show. The trade show is more productive than ever before.
People at STLE are willing to share new ideas and new technology.
Established contact with someone with whom we can do business in India. This was after a Power Generation Technical Session.
The Synthetics 203 class was an excellent overview for someone new to the field.
I made some contacts in a new field.
Someone visited our exhibit and, following a discussion, wants to buy my new product.
I learned the process by which biofuels are refined and brought back into the fuel stream—from an education course.
Did you make at least one professional contact or new friend during the meeting?
Yes
99%
No
1%
Based on responses sent to some 1,200 Annual Meeting attendees.
Trade show—it was great for new raw material technology.
I learned about research activities from the technical sessions.
I learned what factors can affect the loss or containment of oil by a lip seal design and shaft grind.
The technical session were excellent, and as a first-time-participant I learned a lot. In some cases I wanted to participate in more of these sessions, but their schedules overlapped, and I missed some interesting talks. As one of the student poster presenters, I’d like to be more involved in STLE activities next time and undertake any volunteer position that might be needed.
Chemical composition of turbine oil varnish.
Excellent information in technical sessions concerning turbine oils.
Useful information on maintenance-free power generating source using oil-free seals in rural communities. Source was from private discussion with a delegate.
There were several incredible tribology books. The CRC booth was awesome.
Condition Monitoring: New handheld mobile devices for FTIR and thermography.
The most valuable Piece of information I walked away with was something I already knew. STLE is a volunteer organization. STLE becomes whatever the volunteers put into it. As an STLE member, that requires one very important ingredient... me. People from all sorts of backgrounds come together with STLE, making it a huge melting pot of ideas and valuable information. Can you imagine the potential if each member asked just one person to consider becoming a member and/or submitting a paper next year? Knowing something and then seeing it in action are two different things. Seeing STLE’s volunteer system at work with a group of people passionate about learning from each other was amazing! I now look forward to giving more of myself to the work of STLE, and who knows how valuable that will be.
New used grease Sampling and testing technique—from a technical session presentation.
I received valuable suggestions for future enhancements to my modeling approach from several of the attending professors during the student poster display. Their feedback is always inspiring and has broadened my horizon of potential avenues of research in tribology.
Idea for future collaboration from a conversation at the welcome reception.
How would you rate the information value of STLE’s 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibition?
Excellent
47%
Good
47%
Fair
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Based on responses sent to some 1,200 Annual Meeting attendees.
Like grease complexes (lithium for example) are not necessarily compatible. Source was the NLGI Basic Grease course.
STLE members are playing a major role in wind turbine development (technical session).
The session on wind turbine service and product performance issues have helped me retool my sales approach.
Probably the best item I learned was the level of research being done on radial elastomeric lip seals and required journal characteristics, plus the planned International Sealing Conference in October.
It was a technical session about wind turbine problems and hurdles. It was very interesting, lots of new information.
Practical aspects of energy conserving hydraulic fluids.
In the technical session on environmentally friendly lubricants, I learned how much momentum this field has and made some good contacts for future collaborative work.
To follow the level of phenolic antioxidant with FTIR.
I met with a colleague to discuss some earlier research I had done, and through his connections I think we have a way of marketing the finished product.
I gained a better understanding of what makes biotribology different from classical or conventional tribology.
New automotive lubricants dispersant chemistry affecting antiwear additives. Source was from the Lubrication Fundamentals course.
Information on nanotechnology.
At the trade show, I talked with lots of vendors. Found one test machine that looks very interesting.
Tungsten sulphide and molybdenum sulphide fullerenes as lubricant additives.
Learned the test procedure to get good repeatability on MTM tests. From a paper presented at the Lubrication Fundamentals session.
The NLGI Basic Grease course was very informative.
Dow's presentation on oil-soluble PAGs was very interesting.
Inorganic fullerene nanoparticle MoS
2 dispersed in gear oil.
In the trade show I was very interested in the ExxonMobil booth presentation of the new PAOs.
New potential clients at the exhibition.
How would you rate the networking value of STLE’s 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibition?
Excellent
59%
Good
33%
Fair
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Based on responses sent to some 1,200 Annual Meeting attendees.
I learned a lot about wind turbine gearbox operation and maintenance. The addition of wind turbines into the agenda was timely and refreshing.
I learned about a new way to improve the durability of a carbon overcoat by adding silicon to the carbon.
Mostly the technical sessions dealing with biobased lube stocks and how they are being used and tested.
The Caribbean Section has implemented as part of its initiative with the universities in Trinidad and Tobago that all engineering students must be members of STLE to be able to participate in the Young Engineers Forum. This enables students to be selected for scholarships and two students to participate in the STLE Annual Student Poster Competition. This is an innovative way of gaining membership for the organization and providing technical information to students via TLT and the STLE Web site as members to share information and network.
Editor’s Note: Sounding Board is based on an e-mail survey of 13,000 TLT readers. Views expressed are those of the respondents and do not reflect the opinions of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. STLE does not vouch for the technical accuracy of opinions expressed in Sounding Board, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE.