Interflon Single Point Lubricator Project

Interflon UK recently had the opportunity to work on a cost saving project with a large print company in the UK, Precision Colour Printing Telford who were proactively looking to improve their process on site and reduce maintenance costs. The site is also committed to improving the safety for their employees by automating lubrication processes where possible and eliminating any risks to staff.

Interflon working alongside the site engineering team quickly identified an area where improvements could be made in both lubrication application and health & safety.

The site operates an Amberflex Spiral unit on the Kolbus print line which requires the chain to be lubricated every 8 days. The chain is located behind a guard plate and needs to be running to access the full chain when lubricating manually with an aerosol lubricant. This process has potential health & safety risks due to the mechanical movement of the chain and sprocket and is labour intensive. The addition of risk assessment paperwork to complete the task add up to many employee hours each year.

Interflon advised on a small modification to the machine of a Perspex viewing window which housed an Interflon Single Point Lubricator filled with the correct grade of chain lubricant.

The modification allowed for the chain to be lubricated automatically with no need for production to be stopped. The addition of the viewing panel allows the engineers to inspect the chain as part of the PPM schedule and identify any possible issues before they affect production. The chain is now lubricated at the optimal OEM specifications with no risk of missing a schedule. This also eliminates the need for risk assessment paperwork to be completed on a regular basis which is a big benefit to the company process.

The site has calculated an annual saving of 26 engineering hours per year and £1,000 of direct costs to the site from one simple modification.

“On this application alone, we are expecting to save approximately £1000 and 26 hours of operator maintenance time per annum. This single point lubrication system has also eliminated the need for operators to remove any fixed guards to lubricate the chain, so this specific application has also helped improve safety. The time saved can now be better spent carrying out maintenance on other parts of the machine.” Michael Davies – Deputy Maintenance Manager Precision Colour Print