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An Automatic Lubrication System (ALS), sometimes referred to as a Centralized Lubrication System (CLS),is a system that delivers controlled amounts of
centralized lubrication system
s are designed to apply lubricant in precise, metered amounts over short, frequent time intervals. Time and human resource constraints and often the physical location on the machine often makes it impractical to manually lubricate the points. As a result, production cycles, machine availability, and manpower availability dictate the intervals at which machinery is lubricated, which is not optimal for the point requiring lubrication. Automatic lubrication systems are installed on machinery to circumvent these issues.
FLO Components Ltd
'. # Controller/Timer – activates the system to distribute lubrication can be linked to a POS system. # Pump with Reservoir – stores and provides the lubricant to the system # Supply Line – line that connects the pump to the metering valves or injectors. The lubricant is pumped through this. # Metering Valves/Injectors– component that measures/dispenses the lubricant to the application points. # Feed lines - line that connects the metering valves or injectors to the application points. The lubricant is pumped through this.
A single line progressive system uses lubricant flow to cycle individual metering valves and valve assemblies. The valves consist of dispensing pistons moving back and forth in a specific bore. Each piston depends on flow from the previous piston to shift and displace lubricant. If one piston doesn't shift, none of the following pistons will shift. Valve output is not adjustable.
Operation begins when the controller/timer sends a signal to the pump to start the lube event. The pump then feeds lubricant into the supply line which connects to the primary metering valve, for either a preprogrammed amount of time or number of times as monitored through a designated piston cycle switch. Lubricant is fed to the multiple lubrication points one after another via secondary progressive metering valves sized for each series of lubrication points, and then directly to each point via the feed lines.
The first single-line parallel system for industry was introduced in 1937 by Lincoln Engineering (now known as Lincoln Industrial) in the United States.
A single line parallel system can service a single machine, different zones on a single machine or even several separate machines and is ideal when the volume of lubricant varies for each point. In this type of system, a central
A dual line parallel system is similar to the single line parallel system in that it uses hydraulic pressure to cycle adjustable valves to dispense measured shots of lubricant. It has 2 main supply lines which are alternatively used as pressure / vent lines. The advantage of a two-line system is that it can handle hundreds of lubrication points from a single pump station over several thousand feet using significantly smaller tubing or pipe.
Operation begins when the controller/timer sends a signal to the pump to start the lubrication cycle. The pump begins pumping lubricant to build up pressure in the first (the pressure) supply line while simultaneously venting the second (vent) return line. Once the required pressure is reached, a predetermined amount of lubricant is dispensed by the metering devices to half of the lubrication points via feed lines.
Once the pressure switch monitoring main supply line pressure indicates a preset pressure in the line has been reached, the system is hydraulically closed. The controller shuts off the pump and signals a changeover valve to redirect lubricant to the second main supply line.Steve Cartwright; ''Product Guide - Centralized Lubrication Systems''. In: ''Machinery Lubrication Magazine''. July 2002
The next time the controller activates the system, the second main line now becomes the pressure line while the first line becomes the vent line. The second line is pressurized and the entire process is repeated lubricating the remaining lube points.
Multi point direct lubricator
When the controller in the pump or external controller activates the drive motor, a set of cams turns and activates individual injectors or pump elements to dispense a fixed amount of lubricant to each individual lubrication point. Systems are easy to design, direct pump to lube point without added accessories and easy to troubleshoot.
An Automatic Lubrication System (ALS), sometimes referred to as a Centralized Lubrication System (CLS),is a system that delivers controlled amounts of lubricant
A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...
to multiple locations on a machine while the machine is operating. Even though these systems are usually fully automated, a system that requires a manual pump or button activation is still identified as a centralized lubrication system. The system can be classified into two different categories that can share a lot of the same components.
Oil systems: Oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
systems primary use is for stationary manufacturing equipment such as CNC milling
Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a ...
Grease systems: Grease primary use is on mobile units such as truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
s, mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
or construction equipment
Heavy equipment or heavy machinery refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. ''Heavy equipment'' usually comprises five e ...
.
Automatic lubrication systems are key aspects in maintenance & reliability programs. They supply lube points with metered amounts of grease or oil from a central location. The pump supplies the system with the chosen lubricant and is fed from a reservoir that is easily accessible. Depending on the application, the reservoir ranges in sizes and can be as small as 2 liters all the way up to an intermediate bulk container or even a bulk tank. The options are almost limitless and are application specific. These systems have the option to be monitored remotely with feedback and can be tied directly into your plant's PLC. So whether you're running an excavator, driving a ready-mix truck, operating a crusher, or making steel, you can rest assured that your assets are being properly lubricated at all times.
Reasons for Automatic Lubrication Systems
Automatic lubrication systems ocentralized lubrication system
s are designed to apply lubricant in precise, metered amounts over short, frequent time intervals. Time and human resource constraints and often the physical location on the machine often makes it impractical to manually lubricate the points. As a result, production cycles, machine availability, and manpower availability dictate the intervals at which machinery is lubricated, which is not optimal for the point requiring lubrication. Automatic lubrication systems are installed on machinery to circumvent these issues.
Benefits
Auto lube systems have many advantages over traditional methods of manual lubrication: # All critical components are lubricated, regardless of location or ease of access # Lubrication occurs while the machinery is in operation, causing the lubricant to be equally distributed within the bearing and increasing the machine's availability. # Proper lubrication of critical components ensures safe operation of the machinery. # Lesswear
Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology.
Wear in m ...
on the components means extended component life, fewer breakdowns, reduced downtime
The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.
The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline.
This is usually a result of the system failing to function because of an un ...
, reduced replacement costs and reduced maintenance costs
# Measured lubrication amounts means no wasted lubricant
# Safety - no climbing around machinery or inaccessible areas (gases
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
, exhaust
Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to:
Law
*Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law
**Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law
** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, in p ...
, confined spaces, etc.)
# Lower energy consumption due to less friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:
*Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...
# Increased overall productivity resulting from increase in machine availability and reduction in downtime due to breakdowns or general maintenance
Components
A typical system consists of controller/timer,pump
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...
w/reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
, supply line, metering valves, and feed line
In a radio antenna, the feed line (feedline), or feeder, is the cable or other transmission line that connects the antenna with the radio transmitter or receiver. In a transmitting antenna, it feeds the radio frequency (RF) current from the ...
s. Regardless of the manufacturer or type of system, all automatic lubrication systems share these 5 main components:Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology: ''Reasons for Lube Systems; MATLLUB04''. January 2007, FLO Components Ltd
'. # Controller/Timer – activates the system to distribute lubrication can be linked to a POS system. # Pump with Reservoir – stores and provides the lubricant to the system # Supply Line – line that connects the pump to the metering valves or injectors. The lubricant is pumped through this. # Metering Valves/Injectors– component that measures/dispenses the lubricant to the application points. # Feed lines - line that connects the metering valves or injectors to the application points. The lubricant is pumped through this.
Types
There are several different types of automatic lubrication systems including: * Single Line Parallel systems * Dual Line Parallel systems * Single Point Automatics * Single Line Progressive systems (or Series Progressive) * Single Line Resistance * Oil Mist and Air-Oil systems * Oil re-circulating * Chain lube systems The 4 most commonly used Automatic Lubrication System types are: * Single Line Parallel, * Dual Line Parallel and * Single Line Progressive. * Multi port direct lubricatorsSingle line progressive
A single line progressive system uses lubricant flow to cycle individual metering valves and valve assemblies. The valves consist of dispensing pistons moving back and forth in a specific bore. Each piston depends on flow from the previous piston to shift and displace lubricant. If one piston doesn't shift, none of the following pistons will shift. Valve output is not adjustable.
Operation begins when the controller/timer sends a signal to the pump to start the lube event. The pump then feeds lubricant into the supply line which connects to the primary metering valve, for either a preprogrammed amount of time or number of times as monitored through a designated piston cycle switch. Lubricant is fed to the multiple lubrication points one after another via secondary progressive metering valves sized for each series of lubrication points, and then directly to each point via the feed lines.
Single line parallel
The first single-line parallel system for industry was introduced in 1937 by Lincoln Engineering (now known as Lincoln Industrial) in the United States.
A single line parallel system can service a single machine, different zones on a single machine or even several separate machines and is ideal when the volume of lubricant varies for each point. In this type of system, a central pump station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, ...
automatically delivers lubricant through a single supply line to multiple branches of injector
An injector is a system of ducting and nozzles used to direct the flow of a high-pressure fluid in such a way that a lower pressure fluid is entrained in the jet and carried through a duct to a region of higher pressure. It is a fluid-dynamic ...
s. Each injector serves a single lubrication point, operates independently and may be individually adjusted to deliver the desired amount of lubricant.Lincoln Industrial Corporation
Lincoln Industrial Corporation (Lincoln) is a manufacturer of automated lubrication systems, manual lubrication equipment and industrial pumping systems, and subsidiary of Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB (SKF). Founded in 1910, the company has been ...
: ''Centro-Matic Automated Lubrication Systems''. December 2007.
Operation begins when the controller/timer sends a signal to the pump starting the lube cycle. The pump begins pumping lubricant to build up pressure in the supply line connecting the pump to the injectors. Once the required pressure is reached, the lube injectors dispense a predetermined amount of lubricant to the lubrication points via feed lines.Paul Conley, Lincoln Industrial Corporation and Raj Shah, Koehler Instrument Company: ''Ventmeter Aids Selection of Grease for Centralized Lubrication Systems''. In: ''Machinery Lubrication Magazine''. January 2004
Once the entire system reaches the required pressure, a pressure switch sends a signal to the controller indicating that grease has cycled through to all the distribution points. The pump shuts off. Pressure is vented out of the system and grease in the line is redirected back to the pump reservoir, until the normal system pressure level is restored.
Dual line parallel
A dual line parallel system is similar to the single line parallel system in that it uses hydraulic pressure to cycle adjustable valves to dispense measured shots of lubricant. It has 2 main supply lines which are alternatively used as pressure / vent lines. The advantage of a two-line system is that it can handle hundreds of lubrication points from a single pump station over several thousand feet using significantly smaller tubing or pipe.
Operation begins when the controller/timer sends a signal to the pump to start the lubrication cycle. The pump begins pumping lubricant to build up pressure in the first (the pressure) supply line while simultaneously venting the second (vent) return line. Once the required pressure is reached, a predetermined amount of lubricant is dispensed by the metering devices to half of the lubrication points via feed lines.
Once the pressure switch monitoring main supply line pressure indicates a preset pressure in the line has been reached, the system is hydraulically closed. The controller shuts off the pump and signals a changeover valve to redirect lubricant to the second main supply line.Steve Cartwright; ''Product Guide - Centralized Lubrication Systems''. In: ''Machinery Lubrication Magazine''. July 2002
The next time the controller activates the system, the second main line now becomes the pressure line while the first line becomes the vent line. The second line is pressurized and the entire process is repeated lubricating the remaining lube points.
Multi point direct lubricator
When the controller in the pump or external controller activates the drive motor, a set of cams turns and activates individual injectors or pump elements to dispense a fixed amount of lubricant to each individual lubrication point. Systems are easy to design, direct pump to lube point without added accessories and easy to troubleshoot.
See also
*Tribology
Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative Motion (physics), motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on m ...
References