Lubrication and Control for CNC Machining
Ways, ball screws and LM guides on machining centres, turning centres and routers: metered oil to every point, and a wireless handwheel for the setter.
The lubrication circuit
Oil · System 01
Volumetric (inspecting) system
The default on machine tools: each outlet stores its dose and a signal pin proves it moved.
Build
TZ or HL pump + RH-2 / RH-3 distributors
Dose
0.03 – 0.4 ml per outlet, per cycle
Pressure
8 – 15 kgf/cm²
The pump charges each distributor piston chamber; a spring injects the metered dose to the point when main-line pressure is taken off. A signal pin on each outlet confirms the cycle by eye.
Oil · System 02
Pressure volumetric system
Specified where a point resists flow, so the dose has to arrive at line pressure rather than at spring pressure.
Build
TZ or HL pump with pressure take-off + 34 / 35 type distributors
Dose
0.03 – 0.6 ml per outlet, per cycle
Pressure
8 – 15 kgf/cm² (oil) · 30 – 40 kgf/cm² (grease)
Pump pressure itself drives the distributor piston, so the dose arrives at the point at line pressure rather than at spring pressure. Needed where the point resists flow.
Where it runs
CNC machine tools
Ways, ball screws, LM guides on VMCs, turning centres, routers
Turning & milling centres
Slideways, turrets, tailstocks: high cycle-count points
Core circuit products
Pressure-type volumetric distributor metering 0.03 – 0.16 ml per outlet per cycle at 8 – 12 kgf/cm². For small CNC machines and light-duty multi-point oil circuits.
Pressurised volumetric distributor, 2 to 6 outlets at 0.1 – 0.6 ml per cycle. Oil at 12 – 15 and NLGI 00#/000# grease at 30 – 40 kgf/cm².
RH3 inspecting volume distributor with a signal pin per outlet that proves the dose moved. 0.03 – 0.4 ml per cycle, oil 12 – 15 and grease 20 – 50 kgf/cm².
First-generation inspecting volumetric block: 2, 3 or 5 outlets at 0.03 – 0.3 ml per cycle, action guaranteed at 8 – 12 kgf/cm², signal pin per outlet.
Motor-driven oil lubrication pump, 2 L or 4 L reservoir, 110 – 260 ml/min at 15 kgf/cm². Higher volumetric flow than the TZ, for circuits carrying more points.
Motor-driven oil lubrication pump, 2L or 4L reservoir, 1.5 MPa rated, 110-260 ml/min. Timer, dual-timer and NK-3 variants for CNC and injection moulding.
Also used in this industry
Five-axis wireless handwheel with 50 m range, wiring into the machine’s existing MPG input. Fanuc, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Fagor and Heidenhain. One-year warranty.
SD block-type progressive distributor feeding 1 to 20 points strictly in sequence at up to 25 MPa. SD1, SD2 and SD3 series, 3 to 10 working blocks.
TCJ and TCZ restriction resist-type proportion distributors: five graded flow sizes, 1.5 – 20 kgf/cm², M8×1 inlet, each with a built-in filter screen.
Motor-driven grease pump, 2L or 4L reservoir, 260-300 cc/min for NLGI 00#/000# grease. Pairs with 35 Type volumetric distributors for centralised lubrication.
Compact thin-oil pump with level switch and optional microcomputer control, for small and medium machines that need less pump than a TZ.
Tank-type grease pump rated 8.0 MPa at 20 mL/min, with 0.3 to 2.5 L reservoirs. Two builds: with pressure relief for volumetric circuits, without for progressive.
Hand-lever oil pump delivering 8 or 16 cc per stroke at 15 – 25 kgf/cm², in resist-type and volumetric builds. Needs no electrical supply at all.
Cycloidal-rotor pump delivering 1.2 – 7.5 L/min of low-pulsation flow at up to 5.0 kgf/cm², for circulating lubrication rather than metered dosing.
Hand-lever grease pump delivering 1.2 or 1.8 cc per stroke at 10 MPa, with left and right M10×1 outlets. Also the filling pump for a PJ tank.
Related reading
How the handwheel on a CNC pendant really works, from quadrature encoder signals to detents, multipliers, and the safety design around them.
Master the essentials of CNC lubrication with our comprehensive guide covering types, best practices, and maintenance schedules.
A five-interval preventive maintenance schedule for CNC machines covering lubrication monitoring, contamination control, and wireless pendant care, with the alarm-simulation and time-to-pressure checks that prove the protection actually works.
Frequently asked questions
Which lubrication circuit does a CNC machine tool run?
An oil circuit, in one of two forms. Volumetric (inspecting): a TZ or HL pump charges each distributor piston chamber, and a spring injects the metered dose when main-line pressure is taken off. Pressure volumetric: the same pumps with a pressure take-off drive the distributor piston directly, so the dose arrives at line pressure, needed where the point resists flow. Both meter per outlet, per cycle, at 8 – 15 kgf/cm².
How do I size the pump and the distributors?
From the points backwards. Total the dose each point needs per cycle, add the distributors that deliver those doses, then pick a pump whose discharge covers the total at the distributor's action guarantee pressure. Pick the distributor by dose per point and the pump by total dose and pressure, not the other way round.
Can I prove that every point actually received oil?
On the inspecting volumetric families, yes. RH-2 and RH3 blocks carry a signal pin on each outlet that moves as the piston delivers, so the cycle is confirmed by eye, outlet by outlet. Resist-type distributors give no such confirmation: they proportion flow for as long as the pump runs, they do not meter it.
Which controls does the wireless MPG work with?
Five axes over a 50 m link, wired into the machine's existing MPG input. Fanuc, Siemens, Mitsubishi Electric, Fagor and Heidenhain. One year against manufacturing defect from date of invoice.
Get a quote for your cnc machining circuit
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