Automatic or Manual Grease Lubrication

Re-lubrication of ball screws should be done with grease having the same, or compatible, thickener as the grease used for factory lubrication. The base oil viscosity should also be approximately the same. If not specified otherwise, Steinmeyer uses the apllication standard for factory grease fill of the nut. Please note that the factory grease fill is only enough for initial operation, until the first required re-lubrication. We will be happy to advise you if you have any concerns about compatibility with the relubricant used.

AUTOMATIC GREASE LUBRICATION (CENTRAL LUBRICATION)

Relubrication interval: ≈ 0.1h ≤ T ≤ 10h or at least once a day

There are two possible ways to automatically re-lubricate ball screws. Either the nut is connected to an automatic lubrication pump with multiple ports, or a lubrication cartridge is used. Both require a grease which is not too viscous and can be reliably pumped through piping to its destination. Grease cartridges powered by chemical gas generators keep the grease pressurized all the time, which can cause the base oil to separate from the thickener resulting in clogged lines and lubrication breakdown. We recommend electromechanical cartridges, which use a gear motor and a lead screw to pump the lubricant. These do not keep the grease under continuous pressure, thus preventing such problems.

Normally, liquid greases NLGI class 0 or 000 are used for automatic grease lubrication, because they can be pumped through long lines more easily. With large enough pipe diameters, grease class 1 or even 2 can be used as well - but should first be tested.

LONG-TERM LUBRICATION WITH RE-LUBRICATION

Relubrication interval: ≈ 50h ≤ T ≤ 1000h or at least twice a year

Ball screws with regular plastic wipers should be re-greased every 500 hours of continuous operation, or four times a year. Ball screws with felt wipers have a recommended re-greasing interval of 1000 hours of operation, or twice a year.

FOR-LIFE-SCHMIERUNG (WITHOUT RELUBRICATION)

Relubrication interval: T> 1000h or several years

In ball screws with lifetime lubrication, a good seal against dirt and liquids (water, cooling lubricant) can be achieved by using a combination seal (felt or double wiper). A grease service life of over 1000 hours is possible depending on the operating conditions. As a rule, the long-term grease Klüber Klübersynth BEM 34-131N is used for the first greasing and the felt strips of the wipers are pre-impregnated with compatible oil. Please speak to our engineers for such long-term lubrication.

In our download area you will find the technical data sheet.

TECHNICAL TIP

Mineral oil based lubricants degrade with time in two ways:

• They are attacked by aggressive chemicals (for example oxygen) from their environment, which causes a polymerization of the hydrocarbon or oxidation. The lubricant turns into a solid with time, but the process is slow in a normal environment, so re-lubrication in normal intervals replaces the lubricant before it becomes too degraded. However, this chemical aging limits the storage period of pre-greased components to 2 - 5 years. Specifics can be obtained from grease manufacturers.
• During use, the hydrocarbon molecules are subjected to mechanical stresses when they are passed through the contact patches. This mechanical stress causes the molecule chains to break up over time, reducing the viscosity. The maximum usage time of the lubricant can be calculated - please contact us.