Design And Function; General Information42 - SKF MicroDosage System Assembly Instructions Manual

EN
Page 42

5. Design and function

5.1 General information
See Figure 4
The SKF microdosage system is an intelligent
micro-metering system for especially de-
manding applications. It feeds lubricant to the
lubrication point in a nearly continuous volu-
metric flow in the µl range and, in contrast
with conventional lubrication systems, does
not require any compressed air to transport
the lubricant. This makes it especially energy-
efficient and accurate.
The SKF microdosage system consists of two
components, the micro-metering unit (MDU)
and the lubricant reservoir (MDR).
The two-part design of the system makes it
possible to install the micro-metering unit and
the lubricant reservoir in physically separate
locations.
The highly compact micro-metering unit can
be operated immediately adjacent to the lubri-
cation point, for example on the machine tool
spindle, while the relatively larger lubricant
reservoir can be placed at a greater distance
(see Figure 1).
The system's components perform the follow-
ing tasks:
MDR lubricant reservoir (1)
o Storing lubricant
o Generating priming pressure for the
lubricant
o Separating media between lubricant
and compressed air
o Monitoring the lubricant supply
o Reporting fill level to the machine tool's
control unit
MDU micro-metering unit (3)
o Providing 4 individually adjustable
lubricant outlets (8)
o Generating nearly continuous volumetric
flows
o Controlling and monitoring volumetric
flows
o Calibrating lubricant quantities
o Communicating with the machine tool's
control unit via enable and error signals
5. Design and function
The system components are connected via the
main lubricant line (3).
In the micro-metering unit, the lubricant is
routed through microvalves (7) that generate a
quasi-continuous volumetric flow.
A highly sophisticated control unit (5) uses a
flow sensor (4) to monitor the specified volu-
metric flows, calibrates the system upon de-
fined events, and reports any errors that
occur.
Numerous adjustment options allow for the
lubrication system to be finely adjusted to the
particular lubrication task at hand.