Centralised lubrication

Most machines and vehicles have moving joints and bearings. To reduce friction – and consequently wear and tear – during mechanical movement, these joints and bearings require lubrication. This lubrication can be carried out, and has historically been carried out, in many different ways.

Protect your machinery with centralised lubrication

Centralised lubrication is essential for the proper functioning of machinery and vehicles. Ensuring that lubrication is carried out satisfactorily extends the service life of joints and bearings and maintains the efficiency of work vehicles and machinery.

Benefits of centralised lubrication

• Ensures smoother and more reliable operation
• Extends the machine’s service life
• Reduces the need for repairs (as small parts break)
• Gives you a more efficient work machine
• You save time! You don’t need to lubricate manually and avoid downtime
• The machine receives consistent and optimal lubrication

Nowadays, the machine is lubricated automatically – via the centralised lubrication system. This saves you from having to carry out a very monotonous and time-consuming task.

The pump dispenses the correct amount of lubricant

From a centrally located reservoir/pump, lubricant is distributed hydraulically to joints and bearings via hoses, pipes and distributors. Each joint receives a tailored amount of lubricant; this is achieved by the lubricant being forced through distributors which, by adjusting the flow rate, deliver the correct amount.

Hydraulic, automatic lubrication

Lubrication takes place whilst the machine is in operation. Consequently, daily lubrication takes place without the operator having to give it a second thought. This frees up a great deal of working time, as this task previously took hours and, in some cases, days to complete.

Free up time through centralised lubrication

Lubrication has thus been reduced to a non-issue, freeing up time – time that can be better spent on increasing production and/or enjoying more leisure time.

Are there other ways to carry out lubrication? Of course there are; let’s go back a couple of hundred years and look at how it was done in the past.

No more brushes and grease

Historically, it all began when machines were invented to take over the work previously done by humans and animals in the late 19th century. Back then, people were forced to dismantle moving parts and lubricate them by hand using a brush and grease. This was, of course, very arduous and time-consuming work, which also slowed down production and efficiency as the machines had to be shut down whilst lubrication was being carried out. However, it was necessary to ensure everything worked properly.

Various solutions then emerged, such as lubricating the bearing with grease rings or wicks. New designs of oil reservoirs integrated with bearing housings then appeared, and this system worked for around 40 years.

Better than the grease nipple

The grease nipple was invented in the early 1920s. The driving force behind this was the rapidly expanding automotive industry, which required simpler and more efficient lubrication for its manufacturing processes and for the moving parts of its vehicles. The grease nipple was fitted into threaded holes directly in the moving parts, thereby allowing these to be lubricated without halting production or stopping the vehicles. Well into the 1950s, all cars still had these grease nipples, and petrol stations of yesteryear all had a grease bay where you could drive your car up and have its moving parts greased. For commercial vehicles and in industry, these grease nipples have remained in use and are still in use today.