Executive Summary
Every month in Sounding Board, TLT asks readers to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings on the key issues impacting the tribology and lubrication industry. This month we also asked readers to comment on TLT itself. Thank you for your loyalty to TLT—we appreciate your support!


 
Q.1 What do you think of TLT?

It is a good and informative publication.

Informative, but I seem to pick the articles of interest and skip others. I should spend more time reviewing all articles.

I have been reading it for 20 years and have been using the information for knowledge in the lubrication field.

TLT is the most interesting and varied magazine for our industry. I only wish it was weekly!

It’s important for my job and good for studying/getting information.

A great resource to keep up to date on current and emerging technologies.

I enjoy it—I think it is really well done and informative. It’s pertinent information to our industry.

It’s a great publication that has evolved in a good way over the years. It always manages to stay on top of current issues and offer professional insights that those in the industry won’t find anywhere else.

TLT is among the best magazines for updates in the lubrication and tribology world.

TLT articles are very informative and relevant.

Generally good, authoritative and viewpoints supported.

10/10 best lubricant magazine.

Congratulations to TLT for reaching its 20-year anniversary. Thanks to the editors, editorial staff and readers for keeping it an excellent resource for industrial and academic news, cutting edge technologies and society and community activities. I hope TLT will keep going strong and have a great, successful future!

Great source for industrial trends and technical updates.

It is a quality magazine and provides knowledge in varieties of tribology and engineering topics.

Excellent space to acquire knowledge.

Very educational.

I receive a lot of magazines about lubricants in general, but TLT is the one I prefer to keep close. There is a lot of information that I can use daily and that I share with other field engineers.

I really enjoy TLT and learn from the technical side. I do wish there were more practical applications.

It is a good magazine, published by a knowledgeable publisher/editor-in-chief. You get the technical expertise and innovative solutions for your formulating needs.

Some articles are relevant and interesting.

Very good articles covering a wide range of topics.

Wonderful source of information—it has everything topical and relevant in today’s times. Great job by the publisher and her team.

I think it is great. I have enjoyed lots of the articles. I don’t always take the time to read everything.

TLT has been an important piece of STLE’s recognition. A wide variety of articles has appeared over TLT’s two decades, and I’m personally gratified to have been a part of the TLT legacy, having written a bimonthly segment for nearly 10 years.

TLT is superlative. I look forward to receiving TLT in the mail.

An outstanding resource of tribology, lubrication and reliability sources. Very well rounded in its content to provide informative articles.

Very technical and sometimes research-oriented for selected topics, which is good but maybe adding more business-oriented topics would be beneficial (e.g., trends, market intelligence).

A great resource to stay up to date with the latest in tribology.

It’s a great magazine.

It’s a great resource for information for lubrication professionals.

Great trade journal, excellent resource for news and technical information.

I think it is an excellent publication that allows us to keep up to date with the latest trends in the world of lubrication.

Great publication. I learn something from each issue. I like that it covers many topics.

Good resource to stay informed.

It is a good magazine. It has a mixture of things about tribology and the people involved.

The very best lubrication magazine that I’ve read.

TLT is a professional and diverse publication.

I like that it covers a wide range of topics.

Good organization—bringing different companies under one umbrella where we can share of our expertise and knowledge. I like to read TLT for the information sharing and future development.

Good magazine with interesting articles from key industry people.

Excellent—perfect mixture of topics and depth. I value the magazine most of all the industry trade magazines available.

Nice overview of recent news and developments.

TLT provides a good variety of topics and current technology articles. Being new to the workforce, I especially appreciate the archives to look over previous years.

It’s a great resource for lubrication technological industries, especially metalworking fluids, oil and gas industry and internal combustion engine and electric vehicle emerging trends.

Excellent publications (hard copy and online) with good information and details.

Broadest combo of news and technology for the tribology/lubrication engineering industry.

The most informative source of information on lubricants to be found in one place.

Very professional magazine, informative and helpful.

I think TLT is informative and easy to read (as it explains more of the basics with words, instead of deep detail with formulas). Images are very well chosen to support the text. Although it touches mostly on the basics, I often find something new (or to refresh my knowledge).

Great tool for industry information.



How much time do you spend reading TLT each month?
Less than 15 minutes 6%
15-30 minutes 25%
30-45 minutes 41%
45-60 minutes 19%
More than 60 minutes 9%
Based on an informal poll sent to 15,000 TLT readers



Q.2 Which topics are you most excited to read about in TLT?

More on the heavy truck fleet—at this time that is my focus.

Peoples’ interviews, practical information.

I do not have any particular topic—I enjoy the diversity and reading about all things tribology focused.

Lubrication, lubrication systems, new technology.

Past experiences and case studies from lubrication experts, new lubrication standards.

Anything that is new to me. Sometimes it’s an article regarding the industry’s future or a new spin on product technology.

Anything new and leading edge!

Lubricants, electric vehicle fluids, oil analysis, friction and wear, etc.

Digital tribology.

Transportation lubrication.

New technology, raw materials and finished products.

Tribotesting, surface engineering, solid lubrication, 20 Minutes interviews, Feature articles and Sounding Board.

Gear oils and hydraulic fluids.

Biolubricants.

Lubrication Fundamentals, Webinars and Feature articles.

Industrial trends, new tribology and new materials.

Fuels and lubricants especially, maybe new R&D.

Electric vehicles and tribochemistry.

The most interesting topics for me are new areas and innovations, plant maintenance, new products and networking.

Just about any topic that is practical and applies to in-use situations, not the theoretical or pre-design phase ones.

Topics related to the lubrication of bearings and gears.

Supply chain disruptions will continue to drive lubricant prices and availability. Most economists say the old way of doing business is no more.

What the future holds for lubricants.

I like Lubrication Fundamentals because sometimes the author will explain a subject by using a metaphor that makes it so much easier than what I use, depending on the subject. Market Trends is the first thing I read and sometimes the only thing.

Both practical technical applications and developments of new lubricant additives.

Metalworking fluids and lubricating greases.

Rolling bearings and gears, surface texture and stress.

Lubes and additives.

Anything involving electric vehicles.

Interviews with those with extensive experience in the field. Also research articles.

Main Feature articles especially about new emerging areas such as electric vehicles, green solutions, etc. Also 20 Minutes interviews, Sounding Board and President’s Report.

The discontinued Evan Zabawski columns about lubrication puzzles. Newsmakers, top stories, promotions and transitions and STLE Local Section scholarships.

The latest trends in the industry and to keep up with the lubrication advancements in our modern-day equipment.

Lubrication and reliability.

Feature articles are the ones that I look at systematically every month.

Lubrication Fundamentals: elastohydrodynamic lubrication, surface roughnesses and electric vehicle tribology.

Automotive gear oils for light-duty and heavy-duty applications.

New developments in the automotive industry.

Oil analysis.

New innovations, market trends and people on the move.

Emulsion science.

Grease, electric vehicles and trends.

Articles on new product development and new technologies.

Development of lubrication and how applications are changing the way we do things. Also, I like coverage of the basics. Some of the most fun reading is the non-lubrication topics.

Those related to metalworking lubricants.

1.) For many years I was excited to read about metalworking fluids. 2.) Recently the exciting articles are about the trends of electric vehicle lubricants and electric vehicle batteries.

Design requirements and challenges for single electric vehicle fluids.

Tribology in electric vehicles.

Lubrication basics and information of Group IV and V lubricants.

Lubricant additive trends.

Sustainable innovations within the industry.

Tribology and interviews.

New lubrications.

Anything that has a surprising scientific finding is exciting to read about. I always learn a handful of things from each issue.

New additive technology articles, regulatory topics of interest to the metalworking fluids industry and news about colleagues in the industry.

Innovative ideas and projects related to chemistry and hardware.

Lubricant formulation challenges, trends and new technologies.

I am a traditional lubrication engineer but am most excited by the concept of biotribology, a field that seems to have located a home.

Natural and synthetic applicants.

Lubricants and additives.

Lubrication Fundamentals, Feature articles, 20 Minutes interviews, etc. As you can see, I read most parts of TLT.

Hydraulics and any activity happening in the lubrication industry.



Editor’s Note: This TLT Insights is based on an informal poll sent to 15,000 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 STLT Insights, nor does inclusion of a comment represent an endorsement of the technology by STLE.