Multi-point lubrication for large structures

The harbour cranes are large structures used in ports for the unloading and loading of goods and very heavy special equipment which are intended for industrial applications.

Various types of cranes are used in the ports. The simplest type is an arm-controlled pulley, fastened at the top to a beam, with a hook on the other end of the rope at the bottom. Generally they are usedto load/unload material onto the ships such as containers, minerals and grains.

The high intensity of work to which they are subject for the displacements makes it necessary to install a system that is able to lubricate the components which are stressed during the handling.

Other environmental conditions such as the exposure to sea salt, humidity and other contaminating substances, are added the increase in the demand for harbour capacity, with resulting increase in the number of movements and stresses on the equipment. Driven by the need to reduce costs, the operators concentrate on the optimisation of the life cycle of the equipment to limit investments of capital. 

All these conditions can lead to breakdowns with resulting increase in costs and unscheduled down time (e.g. they can occur incrawler wheels, rope pulleys, hoists, trolleys), and very often the maintenance time and the resources necessary to prevent them are in short supply.

A good centralised lubrication system equipped with monitoring systems can help rotating components and systems to withstand these conditions and increase the reliability of the resources.

The lubrication systems equipped with monitoringsystems allow the operators to optimise the performance of the equipment beingused and more. Following are the advantages resulting from the use ofstate-of-the-art centralised lubrication installations:

- Reductionin downtime that is notscheduled
- Increase in productivity 
- Decrease in maintenance costs 
- Increase in the life cycle of theequipment
- Improvement in the di safety conditionsof the workers
- Drop inoperating costs of the life cycle
- Reduction of the environmental impact

After careful analysis and assessment of theproblems, DropsA has developed a progressive lubrication system with the SUMOII pump and AISI 316 stainless steel SMX progressive dosing devices, which makes it possible to supply a measured quantity of grease and automate the lubrication process of several points, taking advantage at the same time of the benefit of the flexibility in being able to add or remove the lubrication points right in the middle of the installation.

For the occasion, components were used that had been tested for application in an environment with difficult conditions such as the marine environment.

This type of lubrication system makes it possible to maximise the efficiency of the entire structure thanks to a system that is capable of supplying the correct quantity of grease for the lubrication of the bearings at the base of the platform and in the arms of the crane, which are far apart and located in positions that are hard to reach, furthermore making is possible to use the electronic controls thanks to our stainless steel (AISI 316) Ultrasensor 2, to check the correct performance of the lubrication system.