Source: CONCRETE PRODUCER MAGAZINE
Publication date: December 1, 2007
By Jerry Mclain
All rotating equipment requires timely and effective lubrication to help reduce wear, minimize lubricant consumption, maximize efficiency, and curb unscheduled downtime. For concrete plants, the job can seem daunting. With potentially hundreds of lubrication points and harsh conditions, concrete plants (portable or stationary) face their fair share of lubrication challenges.
There is no shortage in the number and types of lubrication applications in the form of conveyor bearings, chain drives, drum mixer gears and bearings, electric motors, air compressors, fans and blowers, and many others. There also is no shortage of environmental influences, including temperature extremes, dirt, dust, and moisture. All make the case for proper lubrication.
In addition, cracks begin to surface with traditional “manual” lubrication methods. Over- or under-greasing of bearings, which lead to failure, always looms. Lubrication intervals may be sporadic or ill-timed. Contaminants can inadvertently be introduced, equipment reliability ultimately may be compromised, and, in some cases, points simply may be out-of-reach or otherwise impractical for maintenance staff to handle.
This has paved the way for centralized lubrication systems engineered to provide consistent lubricant in the right amount, at the right time, in the right way.
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