The MLA I, MLA II and MLA III Domain of Knowledge: Why Noria Training Helps Turn a Long Reading List into Field Competence

When I became ICML certified , I read all below and bought them for my library, one asked me should he do the same , so I wrote below article for him.

For anyone preparing for ICML Machine Lubricant Analyst certification, the Domain of Knowledge can look intimidating. MLA I, MLA II and MLA III each point to recognized standards, oil-analysis books, tribology references, lubrication texts, ASTM practices and Noria publications. At first glance, a candidate may think: Do I need to buy and read all of these books before I attend the course or sit for the exam?

The practical answer is no. The Domain of Knowledge should be respected, but it should be understood correctly.

ICML separates the Body of Knowledge from the Domain of Knowledge. The Body of Knowledge is the topic outline that a candidate is expected to know for the exam, while the Domain of Knowledge is the reference bibliography from which exam questions were derived. ICML also makes clear that it does not require, recommend, endorse or authorize any specific training course as “official” or “approved,” and it advises candidates to compare any training course outline with the relevant Body of Knowledge. (ICML)

That distinction is important. The Domain of Knowledge is not a classroom schedule. It is not a step-by-step study plan. It is a professional reference base. A strong course, such as a Noria course delivered by an experienced trainer, helps organize that reference base into a practical learning journey.

What Is from Noria and What Is from Other Sources?

The MLA Domain of Knowledge is not only Noria material. It is a mixture of Noria-published references, ASTM standards and other respected industry books. That is one reason the list has credibility: it draws from multiple sources across lubrication, oil analysis, tribology, hydraulics, grease, turbine oils, wear debris analysis and contamination control.

For MLA I, the Domain of Knowledge includes two Noria-published books: The Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication by Scott, Fitch and Leugner, and Oil Analysis Basics by Troyer and Fitch. The rest of the MLA I list comes from other sources, including ASTM standards, Industrial Press, Fairmont Press, Editions TECHNIP, Coxmoor Publishing, Arnold/Wiley, Mechanical Engineering Publications, Professional Engineering Publications, NLGI, CRC Press, Marcel Dekker, the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers and STLE-related material. (ICML)

For MLA II, the Noria-published reference in the Domain of Knowledge is Oil Analysis Basics by Troyer and Fitch. The rest of the MLA II reference list comes from ASTM, Bloch, Denis/Briant/Hipeaux, Evans/Hunt, Roylance/Hunt and Toms/Toms. (ICML)

For MLA III, the Noria-published reference again is Oil Analysis Basics by Troyer and Fitch. The other references include ASTM D4378, ASTM D6224, Bloch, Denis/Briant/Hipeaux, Roylance/Hunt, Evans/Hunt and Toms/Toms. (ICML)

So the correct message is not: “Everything comes from Noria.”
The correct message is stronger: Noria training helps convert a broad, multi-source Domain of Knowledge into structured, practical, plant-ready competence.

Why the Domain of Knowledge Is So Broad

Lubrication and oil analysis are not narrow subjects. A lubricant analyst must understand oil chemistry, lubricant degradation, contamination, sampling, wear mechanisms, machine design, filtration, grease, hydraulics, turbine oil monitoring, lab test methods and maintenance strategy. No single book covers all of that equally well.

That is why the Domain of Knowledge includes both standards and textbooks. ASTM practices help define monitoring approaches for turbine oils and auxiliary power plant equipment. Tribology books explain friction, lubrication regimes and wear. Oil-analysis handbooks explain test interpretation. Grease guides support grease selection and application. Noria publications help translate lubrication and oil-analysis principles into reliability-centered plant practice.

The challenge for the attendee is not the existence of the books. The challenge is that most technicians, planners, engineers and reliability professionals do not have unlimited time to read every reference from cover to cover. They need a guided path.

This is where a Noria course becomes valuable.

MLA I: Building the Lubrication Foundation

MLA I is the entry point for many professionals. It is aimed at people who have regular contact with machines and influence over lubricant condition, lubrication tasks, oil changes, top-ups, grease application and basic oil-analysis decisions. ICML describes MLA I as covering practical tasks such as lubricant delivery, storage and dispensing, relubrication routes, lubricant selection, grease selection and application, automatic lubrication systems and basic oil-analysis troubleshooting. (ICML)

The MLA I Body of Knowledge includes maintenance strategies, lubrication theory and fundamentals, lubricant selection, lubricant application, storage and management, condition control, oil sampling, lubricant health monitoring and basic wear debris monitoring. (ICML)

Noria’s Machinery Lubrication I course is directly aligned with this kind of foundation. Noria describes ML I as a 24-hour, three-day course that gives students a foundation in lubrication best practices and product knowledge, including selection, storage, filtering and application of lubricants to improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs. Noria also states that the ML I course is aligned with the ICML MLT I and MLA I bodies of knowledge. (Noria Corporation)

This is why a Noria ML I course can help attendees avoid being overwhelmed by the MLA I Domain of Knowledge. Instead of reading ASTM standards, grease guides, hydraulic-fluid books, tribology textbooks and oil-analysis books separately, participants receive the core knowledge in a structured course sequence: maintenance strategy, tribology, base oils, viscosity, additives, grease, lubricant application, lubricant selection, contamination control, oil analysis basics, storage and field inspections. (Noria Corporation)

The important message for attendees is this:

MLA I is not only about passing an exam. It is about changing daily lubrication behavior.
A technician should leave the course understanding why oil cleanliness matters, why lubricant selection must match load, speed and temperature, why grease volume matters, why storage conditions affect lubricant life and why oil analysis is only useful when sampling is done correctly.

MLA II: Moving from Lubrication Knowledge to Oil-Analysis Action

MLA II moves deeper into oil analysis. It is no longer only about knowing how lubricants work. It is about collecting representative samples, understanding test data, recognizing lubricant degradation, identifying contamination and diagnosing abnormal wear.

ICML describes MLA II as intended for people involved in installing sampling hardware, extracting representative samples, preparing samples for analysis, troubleshooting wrong or degraded lubricant conditions, troubleshooting contamination and identifying abnormal machine wear. (ICML)

The MLA II Body of Knowledge is heavily weighted toward practical oil-analysis work. ICML lists oil sampling at 29%, lubricant health monitoring at 21%, contamination measurement and control at 25%, and wear debris monitoring and analysis at 17%. (ICML)

Noria’s Oil Analysis II course fits this purpose. Noria describes OA II as a 24-hour, three-day course associated with ICML MLA II and STLE OMA I. The course is designed to prepare students for ICML’s MLA II certification test and includes oil sampling, oil health monitoring, lab and field analysis, contamination control, fault and wear particle analysis, alarm limits, test slate selection, oil-analysis report interpretation and case-study workshops. (Noria Corporation)

This is where the value of a trainer becomes even more important. Oil analysis is often misunderstood because people receive reports but do not know what actions should follow. A lab report may show viscosity change, oxidation, particle count, water, glycol, soot, wear metals or additive depletion. But the real question is: What does this mean for the machine, the lubricant and the maintenance decision?

A good MLA II course helps attendees connect the test result to the field condition. It helps them understand whether a problem is caused by poor sampling, wrong lubricant, contamination ingress, oxidation, thermal stress, filtration weakness, abnormal wear or poor operating practice.

The MLA II Domain of Knowledge includes only one Noria-published reference, Oil Analysis Basics, but the full reference base is broader. Noria training adds value by consolidating these sources into a practical diagnostic framework. (ICML)

MLA III: From Analyst to Program Leader

MLA III is the advanced level. It is not only about taking samples or reading reports. It is about designing and managing an oil-analysis program.

ICML describes MLA III as intended for professionals who can design an oil-analysis program, select tests, set targets and alarms, determine test frequency, assign machine-specific sampling methods, diagnose abnormal conditions, manage oil-analysis information, evaluate outside laboratory services, select onsite instruments and financially justify the oil-analysis program. (ICML)

ICML also requires MLA III candidates to hold MLA II certification, have 36 months of relevant lubricant-analysis-based condition-monitoring experience and complete 32 hours of documented training for MLA III, in addition to the earlier MLA I and MLA II training requirement, for 80 cumulative training hours. (ICML)

Noria’s Oil Analysis III course is positioned at this advanced level. Noria describes OA III as its most advanced analysis course, designed for managers and reliability professionals who need to develop and implement a strong oil-analysis program. It is a 32-hour, four-day course associated with ICML MLA III and covers high-level diagnostics, machine wear, vibration and oil analysis, fluid properties, additive depletion, contamination, analysis technology and oil-analysis program design. (Noria Corporation)

At MLA III, the question is no longer only, “What does this oil sample say?”
The question becomes, “Is the entire oil-analysis program designed correctly?”

That includes:

Are the right machines included?
Are the correct tests selected for each machine type?
Are sampling points representative?
Are alarm limits statistically and technically meaningful?
Is the lab producing useful and consistent data?
Are reports leading to action?
Is contamination control connected to reliability improvement?
Is management seeing the cost benefit?

This is why MLA III requires more than memorization. It requires judgment.

Why Noria Slides, Manuals and Binders Matter

The long Domain of Knowledge is useful, but it is not always easy for an attendee to navigate. Some references are standards. Some are textbooks. Some are handbooks. Some are older but still valuable. Some focus on tribology. Some focus on oil testing. Some focus on wear debris. Some focus on lubricant selection. Some focus on monitoring practices.

Noria’s role is to organize this knowledge into a teachable system.

A course manual, binder or slide deck does not replace professional reading forever. A serious lubrication professional should continue learning after certification. But for course attendees, the value of the Noria material is that it reduces the burden of trying to personally extract the most relevant exam and field knowledge from every reference.

The course becomes the bridge between the Domain of Knowledge and the work in the plant.

That bridge matters because most attendees are not full-time researchers. They are technicians, reliability engineers, planners, supervisors, inspectors, oil-analysis coordinators, maintenance managers and plant professionals. They need practical knowledge that can be used immediately.

They need to know how to select lubricants, how to store them, how to control contamination, how to take samples, how to interpret reports, how to recognize wear, how to set alarms and how to build a lubrication program that supports reliability.

Why a Trainer Like Khash Changes the Learning Outcome

Slides alone do not create competence. Manuals alone do not create field judgment. The trainer matters.

A trainer like Khash adds value because the attendee is not only receiving information. The attendee is receiving interpretation, prioritization and field connection. ICML lists Khashayar Hajiahmad among technical contributors under the Machinery Lubricant Analyst and Machinery Lubrication Technician categories, and ICML’s Lubecouncil author profile describes him as a lubrication management specialist with experience in rolling bearing maintenance, lubrication and failure analysis. (ICML)

That kind of background matters because many lubrication failures are not caused by one missing definition. They come from weak systems: poor lubricant storage, poor handling, incorrect lubricant selection, contaminated transfer equipment, bad sampling points, excessive greasing, weak filtration, unclear responsibilities, poor alarm management and failure to connect oil analysis to action.

A trainer who has studied the wider reference base and applied it in real plants can help attendees understand what matters most.

The value is not simply: “Here are the slides.”
The value is: “Here is how this knowledge behaves when it meets a gearbox, turbine, compressor, hydraulic system, bearing, reservoir, filter, desiccant breather, sampling valve or oil-analysis report.”

That is the difference between information and competence.

The Right Way to Position Noria Training

The best way to present this to attendees is honest and powerful:

ICML certification is independent. Noria is not the certifying body. The ICML Body of Knowledge defines what candidates must know, and the Domain of Knowledge identifies the references behind that knowledge. Noria training helps attendees learn that material in a structured, practical and field-focused way.

This positioning avoids overclaiming. It also shows the real value.

Noria does not need to claim that all knowledge comes from Noria. In fact, the opposite is more credible. The Domain of Knowledge includes many respected non-Noria sources. A strong Noria course helps attendees benefit from the full body of industry knowledge without forcing them to independently read and organize every reference before the course.

That is especially valuable when the trainer has read broadly, understands the exam structure and has applied the concepts in the field.

Suggested Talk Track for Attendees

Here is a concise message you can use in a presentation, brochure or opening course introduction:

The ICML Domain of Knowledge for MLA I, MLA II and MLA III is a large professional reference library. It includes Noria publications, ASTM standards and many other respected industry sources. Attendees should understand that the Domain of Knowledge is not a simple reading assignment; it is the reference base behind the certification.

The value of a Noria course is that this broad knowledge is organized into a structured learning path using professional slides, manuals, binders, examples and practical explanations. With a trainer like Khash, who can connect the references to real field conditions, attendees do not need to struggle through every book alone before they can understand what matters. They receive the essential knowledge in a practical way, connected to lubrication tasks, oil analysis, contamination control, sampling, diagnostics and reliability improvement.

The goal is not only to pass the ICML exam. The goal is to return to the plant with better judgment, better questions and better lubrication decisions.

Conclusion: Certification Is the Milestone, Competence Is the Investment

The MLA I, MLA II and MLA III Domains of Knowledge show how deep the lubrication and oil-analysis profession really is. They include Noria sources, but they are not only Noria sources. They include ASTM standards, classic lubrication books, oil-analysis handbooks, tribology references, grease guidance and wear-debris analysis texts.

That breadth is exactly why structured training is important.

For MLA I, attendees need a strong lubrication foundation.
For MLA II, they need oil-analysis sampling, monitoring and troubleshooting competence.
For MLA III, they need program design, advanced diagnostics and reliability leadership.

A Noria course helps make that journey practical. A trainer like Khash helps make it real.

The strongest message is this:

The Domain of Knowledge tells us where the knowledge comes from. Noria training helps attendees understand how to use it.