July 2012Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
SKF’s new generation automated lubrication systems allow effective lubrication of moving surfaces in most industrial and machinery applications.
In operator driven maintenance, machine operators take ownership of managing and maintaining their own machines. However, given the complexity of modern machinery, lubrication points are often difficult to reach as they can be hidden behind components or are located in areas that cannot be accessed without compromising operator safety. Complex relubrication specifications requiring different lubricants, intervals or amounts, are often inefficient. At best equipment is over lubricated, resulting in wasted materials and pollution of surrounding areas. At worst moving parts are lubricated at irregular intervals or, if particularly inaccessible, not lubricated at all.
SKF’s automated lubrication systems include centralised systems for mobile plants and forklifts, combined oil and grease systems for materials handling robots, and dry lubricant sprays for conveyors and guide rails surfaces. The centralised lubrication systems supply multiple lubrication points or groups of points with varying amounts of precisely metered lubricant from one central reservoir. This ensures that every lubrication point, even in hard to reach or dangerous areas, receives an exact and carefully programmed level of oil or grease at appropriate intervals and, if necessary, in the appropriate sequence. This eliminates the risk of environmental contamination caused by over lubrication.
In addition, these lubrication systems function while machinery continues to operate, with bearings, bushes, shafts or conveyors still moving. This ensures that oil and grease are distributed consistently across all moving surfaces. As a result, operator safety remains uncompromised, while wear and tear and associated downtime, repair and maintenance costs are significantly reduced.
As an added benefit, maintenance of a SKF centralised lubrication system is generally limited to topping up the lubricant reservoir and an occasional inspection of the lubrication points. When compared to manually maintained lubricating equipment, implementation of a SKF centralised system can reduce time spent on performing maintenance quite substantially.
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