Central Lubrication
Some of the benefits of central lubrication versus other lubrication equipment use include the reduction of maintenance costs, increased machinery productivity, enhanced personnel safety and enhanced machinery life expectancy. It also decreases the wear and tear friction and heat damage that can occur to machines. As a result of the many benefits, central lubrication systems are utilized in a number of industries such as: industrial manufacturing, for the lubrication of conveyor systems, hydraulic presses, pumps and numerous other types of process and automation equipment; transportation, for use in power transmissions in cars, trucks, motorcycles, sports utility vehicles and other vehicles; textile, for the lubrication of weaving, textile looms and other machinery; agricultural, for off-road farming equipment such as tractors and harvesters such as combine harvesters and more; and chemical processing, for the lubrication of pumps such as vacuum pumps and material handling equipment such as chain conveyors systems. Central lubrication systems can distribute a range of lubricants including oil and grease.
Central lubrication systems can be single-line, dual-line or multi-line systems. Single-line central lubrication systems are best-suited for smaller machinery applications such as baking machinery and punches, while dual-line central lubrications systems are suited for medium-sized applications such as machining tools used in machining centers, and multi-line central lubrication systems are used for larger equipment such as in large agricultural harvesters. Whether they are single, dual, or multi-line, the basic design of central lubrication systems must include a pump, a lubricant reservoir, a filter, valves and feed lines. One of the most common types of pumps used in central lubrication are positive displacement pumps, which function to move the lubricants by trapping a fixed amount of the lube then forcing, or displacing, that amount of lube into the feed lines. A lubricant reservoir is a container that stores lubricants that have yet to be dispersed or that have returned from the areas requiring lubrication. The filter is used in combination with the lube reservoir, ensuring that the lubricants return and are dispersed with a minimum amount of outside contaminants such as dust. One of the most common valve types used in central lubrication is a metering valve, also referred to as a control valve. A metering valve functions to provide positioning and variable control to the system, allowing for regulation of the lubricant flow. A needle valve is one type of metering valve used in central lubrication systems.
