Caster Lubrication

Continuous Caster Lubrication

The Caster Lubrication system is ideally suited for the large number of lubrication points and large distance installations. A caster lube system can supply many hundreds of lubrication points and is easily expandable.

A typical schematic for a segmented caster can be seen by clicking on the picture below.

A typical system consists of a main unit which stores the oil to be used for lubrication. The main unit also features air handling and preparation system which is used to supply the air to the system. An air and oil header are pressurized and run the length of the caster. Each segment taps into these headers to supply air-oil to the caster. With only an air, oil and a single electrical connection a segment with 48 lubrication points will have a metered supply of oil to the bearings. This header style design and the ability to locally divide Air-Oil streams greatly reduces the costs of installation and piping versus other types of systems.

Because of the large distances involved in caster lubrication the typical scheme of electrical control features a central PLC with operator interface (typically located at the main unit), and remote I/O on the caster. The remote I/O reduces the amount of wiring necessary to control the system. A typical system would support 8 caster segments per I/O drop.

Although the systems have a "typical" control scheme each system is usually slightly different and is customized for caster layout. The level of monitoring also has an effect on the layout and design of a system. A typical system would be capable of monitoring the system for accurate oil delivery and be capable of monitoring the air for faults prior to the final division of the Air-Oil.