Key Takeaways:
A hydrostatic oil film is only 3–10 μm thick, so particles larger than that wreck it. Maintaining NAS 5 cleanliness and timely filter service is the single most important upkeep task.
A Film Thinner Than a Hair
The design oil-film thickness in a precision hydrostatic component is just 3–10 μm—far thinner than a human hair. A single particle larger than the gap can breach the film, score the surface, and destroy accuracy.

The NAS 5 Standard
Oil cleanliness should reach NAS 5 or better. Multi-stage filtration removes particles, and the filter element is typically replaced around every 500 hours of operation to keep the oil within spec.
Why It Protects Everything
Clean oil protects the restrictors, the oil cavities (whose flatness must stay ≤0.5 μm), and the film itself. Skipping filtration is the fastest way to turn a theoretically infinite-life bearing into a worn one.