Lubrication systems provide smooth operation

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 15, 2007

To help reduce component wear and achieve a smooth, quieter operation for many of its packhouse machines R J Herbert has incorporated Bielomatik automated lubrication systems.

To help reduce component wear and achieve a smooth, quieter operation for many of its packhouse machines R J Herbert has incorporated Bielomatik automated lubrication systems.

Once installed they deliver precise quantities of oil or grease directly to the required point of lubrication, using less lubricant, without overspill, without polluting the surrounding area and resulting in extended operational life of some machines by as much as 35% before requiring overhaul.

R J Herbert design and build robust packhouse machines that can be found at many stages in the food preparation cycle, from automated box tippers which raise, rotate and empty raw boxed root crops such as potatoes, parsnips and carrots at the start of the cycle, to highly efficient product-size graders.

The nature of the business gives packhouses a reputation for placing high demands on machinery suppliers in terms of loading, reliability and performance.

To ensure free movement of sliding and rotating components grease nipples were originally mounted at various points throughout a piece of equipment.

Often being inaccessible, these relied on regular attention and the correctly specified lubricant, if a machines performance was to be maintained.

Today, many of the R J Herbert machines are fitted with a Bielomatik single-line lubrication system.

Featuring piston metering valves, this automatically delivers controlled quantities of oil, in the case of the root crop grader machine to individual roller carrier links, not only reducing the noise level of moving components but also adding to machine reliability and longevity.

Large box tippers from R J Herbert are fitted with grease and oil systems from Bielomatik.

The oil system lubricates the roller bed drive chains, whilst the grease system lubricates the major bearings and hydraulic clevis points.

The little and often approach maintains a supply of grease to the bearings and helps stop the ingress of dirt and dust, one of the main contributors in premature bearing failure.

The lubricant is held in small storage tanks and is pumped to metering valves strategically positioned about the machine.

Bielomatik offer a choice of electrically or pneumatically operated pumps for automatic systems, whilst a hand pump is available for semi-automatic manual systems.

After discharge of a precise quantity of lubricant, the metering valves recharge automatically, ready for the next lubrication cycle.

Many organisations are now finding that where component lubrication is necessary, frequent, small measured dosing, applied as the machinery is moving is far more effective and it has a tremendous cost advantage.

After careful trialling to discover the appropriate amount of lubricant required the Bielomatik system is happy to be left alone.

Maintenance is minimal and downtime low.

The only human intervention is to replenish the main oil reservoir when a low-level warning is raised.