Pneumatic Tool Lubrication Specifications

As with any pneumatic tool, proper lubrication of Standard Pneumatic and Electric Tool Company tool(s) will increase operating reliability and tool life. The high quality materials and precision engineering of our tools permit the tools to take a great deal of abuse and operate with faulty lubrication without apparent failure. Proper lubrication should not, however, be ignored, as it will increase the long life character, which is already built into each tool. Our examination of tools returned for repair shows that about 2 out of 3 have not been lubricated properly.

The ideal air supply to our tools can be achieved with our Model 280 Filter-Regulator-Lubricator. The filter element removes contaminating solids, oils and liquids which may be in the compressed air line whether newly installed or not. This filter unit is equipped with a petcock for "dumping" the contaminants without shutting off the air supply.

The regulator controls the air supply to maintain a constant pressure at the tool even though there are changes in the flow demand and or inlet pressure.

Proper adjustment of the lubricator is the key to proper tool lubrication. With the tool running, set the lubricator to deliver one drop every minute. Only a small percentage of this drop goes downstream in a mist form to lubricate the tool. The remaining percentage of the drop adheres to the air hose wall.

When other manufacturers of lubricators are used, it is recommended that the customer check with that particular manufacturer for the proper procedure for setting the lubricator to deliver 1/10 of a drop per minute to the tool. Many lubricators especially larger units require high airflow rates for the lubricator to operate properly. Therefore, the manufacturer should also be asked to verify the operation of the lubricator at a 3.6 cfm flow rate for the 2000 series and a 10 cfm flow rate for the 8000 series.


Multiple Tools:

Multiple tools on one air system present another problem. When several tools are connected to the same lubricator, it is impossible that the correct amount of lubrication is going to each tool. Since it is highly unlikely that the same number of tools would always be operating at the same time, the airflow through the lubricator would be a variable; thus the amount of lubrication put into the airflow would also vary. However, with the micro fog type of lubricator such as our Model 280, the oil particle size is such that the oil stays suspended in the air through several take-offs better than with other types of lubricators without wetting out, which results in multiple tools on the same line being better lubricated.

The position of the various tools in the system in relation to the distance away from the lubricator would also cause a variance in the amount of lubrication to each tool. If several tools must be connected to the same lubricator, the same procedure for setting the amount of lubrication on one unit should be used with only one of the tools running. It is assumed that the increased airflow of several tools operating at the same time will pull more oil into the system. The maximum number of tools that we recommend connected to one Model 280 is two.

The best method of connecting multiple tools on one system is to have each tool connected directly to its own lubricator (Model 282) with several lubricators being connected to the same filter-regulator (Model 281). Here again, the maximum number of tools that can be connected to the same Model 280 is two. If more than is required on the same system, a larger filter-regulator unit is recommended such as our Model 285. If the customer uses a competitive version of our FLR's then they should check with that manufacturer to be sure the unit will provide enough air flow to supply the tools, even if they were all operating at the same time. The air consumption of the 2000 series is 3.6 cfm. while our 8000 series consumes 10 cfm of air.


Oil Recommendation:

The oil recommended for use with Standard Pneumatic & Electric Tool Company tool(s) is part number 100. It is a special formulation that is not affected by any water, which may have condensed in the airlines. It can mix with water without forming any detrimental emulsions. When multiple tools are used with a single lubricator, it is advisable to use a lighter grade oil such as a S.A.E. number 10 non-detergent. This recommendation is made without any inference as to any other lubrication product being inadequate. But in the opinion of the engineering department it is the preferred lubricant.