Lubrication systems
Open gear lubrication: spraying grease on girth gears
Kilns, mills, dryers and presses turn on big open gears. A spray system puts the right amount of lubricant on the teeth, a little at a time.
The problem
An open gear has no housing and no oil bath. The tooth contact is exposed to dust and heat, and a gear and pinion at this scale are expensive to replace. Hand-applied lubricant is uneven, and most of it is wasted.
The spray solution
- Spray nozzles, often air-controlled, apply a measured burst of grease to the teeth at set intervals.
- A pump (often a barrel pump) supplies the grease and a controller cabinet sets the cycle.
- Some systems add the pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical parts as one package.
What it gets you
- A longer gear and pinion life, because every tooth gets a consistent film.
- Lower lubricant consumption, because the spray puts the lubricant where it is needed.
- Less manual work near a large rotating gear, which is a safety gain.
Lubricant for open gears
Open gear greases rely on a high-viscosity base oil with solid lubricants, so that a film stays on the tooth after the oil has been squeezed out. See the grease classes article for how that grease family is built.
Takeaway. On an open gear, the aim is a thin film on every tooth every time. A spray system is how you get it.
Put it to work in the tool