Discover the benefits of STLE membership

Join now and engage with those employed by the world's leading corporations, academic institutions, and governmental agencies. STLE supports our members with a variety of technical, educational, and professional development resources and programs.

STLE Membership is a Low-Cost Investment with High Professional Rewards
The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) is a professional technical society providing a selection of robust resources in technical research, education and professional development delivered through programming, courses, events and periodicals on topics most important to you: safety, energy usage, maintenance, natural resources, wear and productivity. 

Membership is available to those interested in staying current in the latest technologies, advancing their careers and making new professional connections from around the world.

What is tribology?

Tribology is the study of science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is a branch of mechanical engineering and materials science.

Tribology’s economic and commercial impact is vast. The science reduces energy use, lowers the cost of maintenance and replacement, develops new technology, and solves resource problems, such as the lack of clean water. Proper tribological procedures save an estimated 1.3% to 1.6% of a nation’s gross domestic product—a savings of hundreds of billions of dollars (U.S. currency) in larger countries. Virtually every nation has realized it cannot afford to overlook the economic, industrial, and commercial advantages of tribology. Consequently, tribology is a science that is constantly being advanced by thousands of researchers around the world. Lubrication engineering is the practical application of that science, generally in the development of lubricants and their proper usage and maintenance. Click here to learn more about tribology.


Online webinars, education courses and professional certification programs offer opportunities for continuing education to enhance your career and create value for your company.
STLE organizes, supports, co-sponsors and hosts meetings to provide the tribology and lubrication communities an opportunity to network, exchange ideas and information.


Educating technical professionals to compete in the global business environment is STLE's core mission of serving as a trusted provider of education and a workforce development partner.


STLE grants three academic awards through its Presidential Awards Program. These awards are meant to encourage students to pursue an advanced degree or a career in tribology or lubrication engineering by subsidizing a research project related to the field.

TLT Quick Links 

Check out what's inside the April Issue of TLT - Digital Edition | TLT Archives

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

FEATURE ARTICLE
Biobased base stock (posted on March 15, 2021)
Biobased base stock, which falls under the broader category of renewable base stock, is manufactured from biological material, usually, but not always plants. While it is renewable, it is not necessarily biodegradable—the two terms are not interchangeable. Read more >

LUBRICATION FUNDAMENTALS
Extreme pressure and antiwear additives in rolling bearing lubrication (posted on March 15, 2021)
Screw compressors are common in many commercial and industrial applications because of their high efficiency and reliability to compress a wide variety of gases, including air and natural gas. Rotary screw compressors can be remotely located requiring only minimal service and maintenance while working continuously for weeks, months and even years at a time. Rotary screw compressors are named after the nature of their design: Gas enters a sealed chamber and gets held between the screws, also called rotors, which rotate to reduce the gas volume in order to compress it. Read more >
WEBINAR
Intermediate storage and handling of lubricants (posted on March 15, 2021)
How effectively lubricants do their job, and for how long, depends largely on what they encounter between the supplier’s delivery truck and their final destination in bearings, gears and other mechanical components. “We need to take the lubricant that is delivered to our facilities with extreme care and precision to make sure that the integrity of the product, the labels and other factors stay intact, and that the lubricant is as clean—or even cleaner, in many cases—than what is delivered from our suppliers,” says STLE member Manuel Garcia. Read more >
PRESIDENT'S REPORT 
Inspiring the next generation of lubricant professionals (posted on March 15, 2021)
I often find myself digging deep into my memory archive to apply what I’ve learned, but this year I’ve been reflecting on my career more frequently. Turning 60 will do that to a person I’m told! But also, as I approach the end of my term as STLE President, I have been thinking about the generation coming up behind me, how the job might be different for them and what skills they’ll need to do it effectively. I must say from the interactions I’ve had as president and with the younger colleagues in my workplace, the future lubrication and tribology business sector is in good hands. Read more >
STLE EDUCATION
Personalize Your Education. Advance Your Career
STLE Learning Pathways is a new online resource library for lubrication industry professionals to help identify, align and target their education and career development needs with access to technical articles, courses, webinars and books that will help them better serve their customers and employers. Learn more >
WHITE PAPERS & SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS 
2020 Report on Emerging Issues and Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering
STLE’s 2020 Report on Emerging Issues and Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering builds on a multiphase research effort to evaluate current trends and predict future developments impacting the field of tribology andlubrication engineering that was published in the first two Emerging Trends reports in 2014 and 2017. Based on input from technical experts around the world, the triennial Emerging Trends Report includes a look into more recent advances and topics that have surfaced in the latest publication. Order your copy >


Tribology Opportunities for Enhancing America's Energy Efficiency 
The Tribology Opportunities for Enhancing America's Energy Efficiency Report, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), summarizes the results from a workshop STLE hosted at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. The purpose of the workshop was to explore opportunities in advanced tribological science and engineering of energy technologies across a wide range of practical application sectors. You'll find the results of these efforts in the report. Order your copy >

Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report

The Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report evaluates the impact of changes in industry, technology and the economy on the field. The 20-page report is based on a year-long study of nearly 1,000 industry experts surveyed with the goal of tapping into their collective wisdom and insight and drawing conclusions about the future of tribology and lubrication engineering. 
Order your free copy >

Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report

The Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report evaluates the impact of changes in industry, technology and the economy on the field. The 20-page report is based on a year-long study of nearly 1,000 industry experts surveyed with the goal of tapping into their collective wisdom and insight and drawing conclusions about the future of tribology and lubrication engineering. 
Order your free copy >

Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report

The Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report evaluates the impact of changes in industry, technology and the economy on the field. The 20-page report is based on a year-long study of nearly 1,000 industry experts surveyed with the goal of tapping into their collective wisdom and insight and drawing conclusions about the future of tribology and lubrication engineering. 
Order your free copy >

Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report

The Trends in Tribology and Lubrication Engineering: Industry Leader Predictions Report evaluates the impact of changes in industry, technology and the economy on the field. The 20-page report is based on a year-long study of nearly 1,000 industry experts surveyed with the goal of tapping into their collective wisdom and insight and drawing conclusions about the future of tribology and lubrication engineering. 
Order your free copy >

 









News

Call for Student posters for the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting
(March 26, 2021)

STLE is seeking student posters for its 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting & Exhibition. Event organizers are inviting students from all areas of tribology research to participate in a special session dedicated to student posters. Virtual posters must deal with an aspect of tribology research that can be translated into friction, wear and lubrication. Student poster research topics can be co-authored by faculty and other researchers, but only students may exhibit their posters and discuss their work at the session. Click here for more details.

STLE's New Strategic Plan: Creating a Bold Future
(December 7, 2020)

The 2020 - 2023 STLE Strategic Plan is laid out with the following key areas: Purpose, Mission, Vision, Domains (four) and Key Goals, Objectives, Strategies and finally Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track our progress.  You can read the details and download a PDF plan summary.

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