Grease Lubrication for Heavy Machinery
Rolling mills, forging presses, mining and material handling plant, excavators and cranes: points that are hard to reach and easy to forget.
The lubrication circuit
Grease · System 01
High pressure progressive system
SD2 blocks take master duty on heavy plant, with SD1 or SD3 blocks as secondaries.
Build
ZJ series piston pump + SD or U-shaped progressive distributors
Dose
NLGI 1# and 2#, also 0# / 00# / 000#
Pressure
16 – 32 MPa · ZJ set to 30 MPa
A piston pump raises grease to as much as 30 MPa and feeds a master progressive distributor, which feeds secondary distributors, which feed the points in sequence. Full pump pressure reaches every point; none of it is divided. A blocked point raises system pressure until grease leaves the safety valve, so the circuit monitors itself.
Where it runs
Engineering & construction
Excavators, cranes, loaders: points that are hard to reach and easy to forget
High pressure · ZJ + SD
Steel & heavy machinery
Rolling mills, forging presses, mining and material handling plant
High pressure · ZJ + SD2
Core circuit products
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.
One-piece progressive valve feeding 4 to 12 points at 0.3 ml per cycle each, rated 15 MPa. No blocks to assemble and no joints to leak.
DC 12 V or 24 V piston grease pump rated 30 MPa, handling NLGI 000# to 2# grease from a 2 to 8 L reservoir. Drives high-pressure progressive circuits.
Also used in this industry
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.
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.
DC 12 V / 24 V piston grease pump rated 18 MPa, one to three piston sets at 1.2, 2.4 or 4.0 ml/min, 2 to 8 L reservoir. For vehicle and mobile plant.
Two to six metered outlets at 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 cc per cycle, working 2.5 – 5.5 MPa. Re-bodied RH volumetric block for tight vehicle installations.
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 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.
DC 12 V or 24 V chassis grease pump delivering 260 ml/min at 3.5 – 3.8 MPa from a 3 L reservoir, for vehicles and mobile plant on vehicle supply.
Related reading
NLGI 2 belongs on a 30 MPa progressive circuit, not in a GM or 35-type reservoir. How the three grease pressure classes decide the grade, and what mixing them costs.
How volumetric, progressive, and resist-type distributors divide lubricant among points, and how each architecture behaves when a line blocks.
Oil or semi-fluid grease on the clamp, why those points want pressure-volumetric metering, and the AMAG pump pairings that match a 35-type action window.
Frequently asked questions
Which circuit for rolling mills, forging presses and mining plant?
The high pressure progressive class, the same class construction plant and wind turbines run. A ZJ series piston pump feeds SD2 master distributors; the pump is rated 30 MPa and the SD blocks work to 25 MPa, starting from 1.4 MPa.
How do master and secondary distributors divide the machine?
The master block takes the pump line and feeds secondary blocks, which feed the points in sequence. SD2 is the master on heavy plant, with SD1 or SD3 blocks under it as secondaries. An SD assembly is 3 to 10 working blocks serving 1 to 20 points.
Can the circuit be interlocked with the machine PLC?
That is the normal build. SD working blocks are available with a mechanical indicator pin and with an electric micro-switch indicator pin, the ZJ pump carries pressure and level switches for remote monitoring, and the U-shaped M models add a cycling feedback switch at the block. Note the cycling limit: 200 cyc/min, but 60 cyc/min on blocks fitted with an indicator pin.
Which grease grade at those pressures?
NLGI 1# and 2# on the high pressure class, and 0#, 00# and 000# also run. The ZJ pump handles NLGI 000# to 2#; the U-shaped block is rated NLGI 000# to 1#, −20 °C to +80 °C. Mixing across the three pressure classes is the most common specification error we see.
Get a quote for your heavy machinery circuit
Tell us the machine and the number of lube points. We reply with a part list.