Automatic Lubricators

Automatic Lubricators

Typical industries that utilize automatic lubricators include: industrial manufacturing, for the lubrication of multi-part systems such as chain and screw conveyor systems; automotive, to lubricate power transmissions in trucks, cars, sports utility vehicles and more; agriculture, as lubrication equipment for harvesting equipment such as tractors and combine harvesters; mining, for the lubrication of mobile and stationary mining and quarrying equipment; and power generation, as lubricators for electric motors, fans, conveyors and other types of equipment used in power plants. Another popular type of automatic lubricator is a chain oiler, which travels the length of the chain and disperses the required amount of lubricant system-wide. Chain lubricators are often used on equipment such as motorcycles and chainsaws. Automatic systems may have single, double or multiple feed lines. Single-line automatic lubricators are used for small machine applications, while dual-line automatic lubricators are used for medium-sized machines and multi-line automatic lubricators are used for larger equipment.

The basic design of automatic lubricators includes a pump, a lubricant reservoir, valves and feed lines. Automatic lubricators typically use a type of positive displacement pump, which functions by trapping a fixed amount of the lubricant and then forcing, or displacing, that amount of lube into the feed lines. A pump takes the lubricant from the lubricant reservoir, which is a container that stores lubricants that have yet to be dispersed or that have returned from lubricated areas. A filter is often used in combination with the reservoir to minimize the presence of outside contaminants. Automatic lubricants often utilize a type of metering valve, which is also known as a control valve since it provides positioning and variable control to the system and allows for regulation of the lubricant flow. Automatic lubrication systems can either provide continuous or periodic lubrication. While automatic lubrication systems are most often central lubrication systems, which are systems that supply lubricant to multiple points in machinery or systems requiring lubrication at one time, they can also be intermittent lubrications systems, which are designed to supply lubricant to machine parts and systems periodically, based on a timer rather than need.