Across most industries, when it comes to relubrication the primary method preferred is manual application of grease or oil allowing operators or maintenance staff a close-up view of the application and its condition. With increasing demands for health and safety the addition of guarding to prevent easy access and visibility of equipment and remote grease lines is further separating people from machinery.
Automatic lubrication systems have been around for many years but have frequently been seen as a costly system which takes away the need of a grease gun as part of a maintenance inspection route. Statistical information from bearing failures however indicate that approximately 50 percent of bearing failures are lubrication related from either insufficient or ineffective grease or as a result of contamination from external sources or introduced with the lubricant. The results of these premature failures can be minor, however they can also be quite costly when this occurs on critical equipment with costly downtime.
When considering lubrication systems, these can be either a manual system with multiple points linked to a central point, a single point automatic system or an automatic multiple lubrication point system. Each method of relubrication has benefits and risks associated and it is important to understand the risks and requirements of an application when choosing a solution.
Single point system
SKF System 24 lubricators are suitable for a variety of applications where they can be adjusted to ensure that the correct quantity of lubricant is delivered to the lubrication point over a predetermined period of time. This provides a more accurate control of the amount of lubricant supplied and reduce the opportunities for contamination ingress during the greasing process. For an optimum flexibility according to application conditions, three series are available:
SKF System 24 LAGD series are suitable to be used in dangerous environments and in limited space providing a cost effective solution in both a 60 and 125 ml reservoir capacity.
SKF System 24 TLSD series are an electro-mechanically driven unit with more consistent dispensing rate with varying temperatures and rated for temperatures between -10 °C and 50 °C. TLSD can be set to operate in up to 12 month settings with cartridges available in 125 and 250 ml sizes.
SKF Automatic Lubricant Dispenser TLMR series offers a relatively high pressure of 30 bar allowing it to operate at longer distances for difficult-to-reach and unsafe lubrication locations. With a wide temperature range of -25 °C to 75 °C and robust design, the TLMR lubricator is suitable for many conditions and operating settings of up to 24 months with cartridges in 120 and 380 ml sizes.
Multipoint system
The SKF Multi point automatic lubricator TLMP series is intended for reliable relubrication of one to eighteen lubrication points. This sturdy automatic lubrication system is packaged as a complete kit, including the lubricator, required tubing and connectors for an easy to install system and programming via its keypad with LED display.
Further customised solutions are available to meet the lubrication requirements on site and SKF is able to design systems specifically based on you needs.
For further information, please contact your local SKF distributor.www.skf.com or
email customerservice.nz@skf.com
