wire rope lubricant applicator factory

Proper lubrication of wire rope will extend operational life and increase safety. Done correctly, it lubricates exterior surfaces as well as the inside wires and core. Proper lubrication will help reduce friction as the individual wires move over each other, and provide corrosion protection.However, lubricating wire ropes can be difficult. Manual lubrication via drip, brush, spatula or rubber glove method is a messy, time-consuming maintenance task and can be hazardous to the environment.

The Viper Wire Rope Lubricator is a much better solution. The Viper Mid MK II provides fast, effective one-pass lubrication of wire ropes from 5/16 in (8 mm) to 2 5/8 in (67 mm) in diameter, at speeds up to 6,670 ft (2,033 m) per hour. It eliminates the slow, labor-intensive task of manual lubrication, at the same time achieving more thorough results by forcing LE’s robust wire rope lubricant under high pressure (up to 5,500 psi) right to the core of the wire rope.

The Viper Wire Rope Lubricator can be used in any application where wire rope can be drawn through the collar of the lubricator, including the following typical applications:

The Viper Wire Rope Lubricator consists of a lubricator collar assembly that houses polyurethane seals suited to a specific wire rope size. The assembly is clamped around the rope and anchored to a fixed point. The rope is then pulled through the collar. The steel scraper plates pre-clean the rope by scraping dirt, debris and old lubricant from the rope and protect the seals from loose strands, flattening them out before new lubricant is applied.

As the lubricant is applied with the high-pressure, high-flow grease pump, it forces the lubricant between the strands to the wire rope core. The result is a fully lubricated wire rope with a smooth minimal film of lubricant on the outer strands.

The collar is the heart of the Viper MK II. Constructed from high-grade cast aluminum with a robust protective coating, the collar is completed with stainless steel hardware to provide maximum corrosion protection. The MK II collar has built-in handles, making it easy to carry in one hand. One person can easily attach the Viper to the rope.

LE carries the complete standard kit and all necessary components for operation. Configuring the kit is simple. The selection of the seals and scraper plates is based on wire rope size. If you have more than one wire rope size, additional scrapers and seals can be purchased.

We also carry some of the best wire rope lubricants found in the market to provide you with an entire solution. We recommend that you use Wirelife® Almasol® Coating Grease (452-453) with the Viper Wire Rope Lubricator

Wirelife Almasol Grease is available in NLGI 00 (452-PL, 452-QD, 452-DR) and NGLI 0 (453-PL, 453-QD, 453-DR) grades, both of which are extremely tacky and water resistant and have exceptional penetrating ability. They provide EP protection and exceptional corrosion protection, even in underwater applications

In addition to wire rope lubrication, LE is happy to offer lubricant and reliability recommendations for a variety of industries and applications, and to provide product-specific data on all of our items to help you make the right decision.

To learn more about the Viper Wire Rope Lubricator or about LE’s enhanced lubricants, lubricant training, oil analysis, filtration, lube rooms, breathers, sight glasses or other lubricantreliability solutions, please contact us today.

We will carry out lubrication on our 103 mm wire in the coming days. This will be the third time this has been conducted, and I am extremely satisfied with the results. No wastage due to drop off during application and very good penetration.

Bridon Ropes has used Masto machines in its factories for over 10 years, in cases where a special lubricant coating is required on particular wire ropes. Over the years the machines have given dependable service over a wide range of rope sizes and constructions, and have given satisfactory seal lives.

After having used the Masto unit for approximately 2 ½ years, we are more than satisfied with the unit. It is a clean and efficient way of greasing wires. Before we got the unit, greasing wires was a hard task, but now the unit is doing the work for us and the wires are greased properly and evenly.

The undersigned surveyor to Det norske Veritas was present when the “MASTO” wire lubricator was demonstrated on two wire dimentions. After being greased, the wires were split apart, and we can confirm that the grease had penetrated through the whole cross-section of the wires.

We have tested different types of wire rope lubricators and can ensure you that we are very satisfied with your product. We would definitely go for Masto lubricators should the need for such a product arise again.

I can confirm that the ‘Maesto’ wire rope lubricator has been in use on the vessels under my control for several years, during which time it has proved to be a highly effective tool to assist particularly in maintaining the wire ropes of the deck cranes in good order, despite the most ardous operating conditions.

After having used the MASTO unit for approximately one year, we are very satisfied with the unit. It is a safe and clean way of greasing wires. It has proved to be a timesaving tool, compared to brush, cloth etc.

Today we have used the Lubricator for the first time. One word: Amazing! 2 hours instead of two days, no backache, 60 Kg grease instead of 250 Kg, clean dungarees, no mess everywhere around. It’s a great advisable product. I will recommend the wire lubricator to my collegues.

Developed as a service tool, the Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator is attached periodically to equipment on a monthly, quarterly or other cycle to lubricate wire ropes. Lubrication intervals should be determined according to rope manufacturer specifications. The life cycle of a steel wire rope that has been periodically lubricated is approximately six to eight times longer than a wire rope that has not been lubricated. Specifically for Wire Rope Lubricator applications a biodegradable grease LGTE 2 is available. The grease is environmentally acceptable and certified with Ecolabel.

Also, lubricating a wire rope while in service helps to prevent corrosion of the wires. Corrosion can be internal and external, and it often is caused by acids, alkaline waters, salt air, humidity, fumes, and abrasive and industrial environments in general.

Do your wire ropes, cables and draglines become rusted, corroded or frayed? You can protect your wire rope and cable from high stress loading, shock loading, jerking and heavy loads with LE"s full line of penetrating and coating wire rope lubricants. Whether you want lubricant to penetrate to the core or to coat and seal, LE has a full range of protective lubricant solutions, including wire rope lubricant applicators to reduce labor costs and ensure safe, reliable operation.

New Extended Warranty: Documented use of LE452, LE453 Wirelife™ Almasol Wire Rope Lubricant or Earthwise™ EAL Wire Rope Lubricant will double the Viper warranty period to 24 months.

Are you looking to squeeze more life out of your wire rope? Literally speaking, you now have the ability to squeeze more life into your wire rope using the Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator (WRL). As a matter of fact, up to six to eight times more life can be achieved by the proper application and frequency of lubrication.

The WRL was developed by Lincoln with those individuals in mind who have the desire to protect the significant investment they have made in wire rope. Even when used in modest lengths, gauges, and conventional materials, the cost of wire rope can quickly add up. As wire rope is typically used in applications involving lifting, hoisting, dragging, pulling, arresting, etc., and often subject to harsh conditions, the life span of wire rope is usually extremely short lived. Wire rope that is not periodically lubricated is likely to fail prematurely from the effects of excessive heat generation and abrasion caused by friction.

For those individuals looking to extend the life of their wire rope, investment in a Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator (WRL) will be the surest means to achieve this result. It’s not uncommon to discover wire rope failure caused by a rotted and fatigued core. Although there are other products and systems on the market designed to apply a protective coating of lubricant to wire rope, only the Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator (WRL) is designed to inject protective lubricant into the rope’s core while simultaneously applying a protective coating of lubricant to the outside diameter of the wire rope.

The design of the Lincoln Wire Rope Lubricator (WRL) prevents excessive application of lubricant common to other applicators on the market. The efficient application of lubrication reduces expense due to lubricant waste and associated cleanup activities. The WRL is designed to dispense and apply the lubricant automatically thus avoiding manual application altogether, allowing valuable manpower to be deployed elsewhere. The potential risk of harm to an employee is alleviated when the Lincoln WRL replaces the manual application of lubricant, thereby contributing to a reduction in costs due to accident and injuries.

Wire rope forms an important part of many machines and structures. It is comprised of continuous wire strands wound around a central core. There are many kinds of wire rope designed for different applications. Most of them are steel wires made into strands wound with each other. The core can be made of steel, rope or even plastics.

Wire ropes (cables) are identified by several parameters including size, grade of steel used, whether or not it is preformed, by its lay, the number of strands and the number of wires in each strand.

A typical strand and wire designation is 6x19. This denotes a rope made up of six strands with 19 wires in each strand. Different strand sizes and arrangements allow for varying degrees of rope flexibility and resistance to crushing and abrasion. Small wires are better suited to being bent sharply over small sheaves (pulleys). Large outer wires are preferred when the cable will be rubbed or dragged through abrasives.

There are three types of cores. An independent wire rope core (IWRC) is normally a 6x7 wire rope with a 1x7 wire strand core resulting in a 7x7 wire rope. IWRCs have a higher tensile and bending breaking strength than a fiber core rope and a high resistance to crushing and deformation.

A wire strand core (WSC) rope has a single wire strand as its core instead of a multistrand wire rope core. WSC ropes are high strength and are mostly used as static or standing ropes.

Wire ropes also have fiber cores. Fiber core ropes were traditionally made with sisal rope, but may also use plastic materials. The fiber core ropes have less strength than steel core ropes. Fiber core ropes are quite flexible and are used in many overhead crane applications.

The lay of a wire rope is the direction that the wire strands and the strands in the cable twist. There are four common lays: right lay, left lay, regular lay and lang lay. In a right lay rope the strands twist to the right as it winds away from the observer. A left lay twists to the left. A regular lay rope has the wires in the strands twisted in the opposite direction from the strands of the cable. In a lang lay rope, the twist of the strands and the wires in the strands are both twisted the same way. Lang lay ropes are said to have better fatigue resistance due to the flatter exposure of the wires.

Wire ropes are made mostly from high carbon steel for strength, versatility, resilience and availability and for cost consideration. Wire ropes can be uncoated or galvanized. Several grades of steel are used and are described in Table 1.

Steel cable wire is stiff and springy. In nonpreformed rope construction, broken or cut wires will straighten and stick out of the rope as a burr, posing a safety hazard. A preformed cable is made of wires that are shaped so that they lie naturally in their position in the strand, preventing the wires from protruding and potentially causing injury. Preformed wire ropes also have better fatigue resistance than nonpreformed ropes and are ideal for working over small sheaves and around sharp angles.

Lubricating wire ropes is a difficult proposition, regardless of the construction and composition. Ropes with fiber cores are somewhat easier to lubricate than those made exclusively from steel materials. For this reason, it is important to carefully consider the issue of field relubrication when selecting rope for an application.

There are two types of wire rope lubricants, penetrating and coating. Penetrating lubricants contain a petroleum solvent that carries the lubricant into the core of the wire rope then evaporates, leaving behind a heavy lubricating film to protect and lubricate each strand (Figure 2). Coating lubricants penetrate slightly, sealing the outside of the cable from moisture and reducing wear and fretting corrosion from contact with external bodies.

Both types of wire rope lubricants are used. But because most wire ropes fail from the inside, it is important to make sure that the center core receives sufficient lubricant. A combination approach in which a penetrating lubricant is used to saturate the core, followed with a coating to seal and protect the outer surface, is recommended. Wire rope lubricants can be petrolatum, asphaltic, grease, petroleum oils or vegetable oil-based (Figure 3).

Petrolatum compounds, with the proper additives, provide excellent corrosion and water resistance. In addition, petrolatum compounds are translucent, allowing the technician to perform visible inspection. Petrolatum lubricants can drip off at higher temperatures but maintain their consistency well under cold temperature conditions.

Various types of greases are used for wire rope lubrication. These are the coating types that penetrate partially but usually do not saturate the rope core. Common grease thickeners include sodium, lithium, lithium complex and aluminum complex soaps. Greases used for this application generally have a soft semifluid consistency. They coat and achieve partial penetration if applied with pressure lubricators.

Petroleum and vegetable oils penetrate best and are the easiest to apply because proper additive design of these penetrating types gives them excellent wear and corrosion resistance. The fluid property of oil type lubricants helps to wash the rope to remove abrasive external contaminants.

Wire ropes are lubricated during the manufacturing process. If the rope has a fiber core center, the fiber will be lubricated with a mineral oil or petrolatum type lubricant. The core will absorb the lubricant and function as a reservoir for prolonged lubrication while in service.

If the rope has a steel core, the lubricant (both oil and grease type) is pumped in a stream just ahead of the die that twists the wires into a strand. This allows complete coverage of all wires.

After the cable is put into service, relubrication is required due to loss of the original lubricant from loading, bending and stretching of the cable. The fiber core cables dry out over time due to heat from evaporation, and often absorb moisture. Field relubrication is necessary to minimize corrosion, protect and preserve the rope core and wires, and thus extend the service life of the wire rope.

If a cable is dirty or has accumulated layers of hardened lubricant or other contaminants, it must be cleaned with a wire brush and petroleum solvent, compressed air or steam cleaner before relubrication. The wire rope must then be dried and lubricated immediately to prevent rusting. Field lubricants can be applied by spray, brush, dip, drip or pressure boot. Lubricants are best applied at a drum or sheave where the rope strands have a tendency to separate slightly due to bending to facilitate maximum penetration to the core. If a pressure boot application is used, the lubricant is applied to the rope under slight tension in a straight condition. Excessive lubricant application should be avoided to prevent safety hazards.

Some key performance attributes to look for in a wire rope lubricant are wear resistance and corrosion prevention. Some useful performance benchmarks include high four-ball EP test values, such as a weld point (ASTM D2783) of above 350 kg and a load wear index of above 50. For corrosion protection, look for wire rope lubricants with salt spray (ASTM B117) resistance values above 60 hours and humidity cabinet (ASTM D1748) values of more than 60 days. Most manufacturers provide this type of data on product data sheets.

Cable life cycle and performance are influenced by several factors, including type of operation, care and environment. Cables can be damaged by worn sheaves, improper winding and splicing practices, and improper storage. High stress loading, shock loading, jerking heavy loads or rapid acceleration or deceleration (speed of the cable stopping and starting) will accelerate the wear rate.

Corrosion can cause shortened rope life due to metal loss, pitting and stress risers from pitting. If a machine is to be shut down for an extended period, the cables should be removed, cleaned, lubricated and properly stored. In service, corrosion and oxidation are caused by fumes, acids, salt brines, sulfur, gases, salt air, humidity and are accelerated by elevated temperatures. Proper and adequate lubricant application in the field can reduce corrosive attack of the cable.

Abrasive wear occurs on the inside and outside of wire ropes. Individual strands inside the rope move and rub against one another during normal operation, creating internal two-body abrasive wear. The outside of the cable accumulates dirt and contaminants from sheaves and drums. This causes three-body abrasive wear, which erodes the outer wires and strands. Abrasive wear usually reduces rope diameter and can result in core failure and internal wire breakage. Penetrating wire rope lubricants reduce abrasive wear inside the rope and also wash off the external surfaces to remove contaminants and dirt.

Many types of machines and structures use wire ropes, including draglines, cranes, elevators, shovels, drilling rigs, suspension bridges and cable-stayed towers. Each application has specific needs for the type and size of wire rope required. All wire ropes, regardless of the application, will perform at a higher level, last longer and provide greater user benefits when properly maintained.

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. has found through years of field experience, that longer wire rope life can be obtained through the use of penetrating lubricants, either alone or when used in conjunction with a coating lubricant. Practical experience at a South African mine suggests that life cycles may be doubled with this approach. At one mine site, the replacement rate for four 44-mm ropes was extended from an average 18.5 months to 43 months. At another mine, life cycles of four 43-mm x 2073 meter ropes were extended from an average 8 months to 12 months.

In another study involving 5-ton and 10-ton overhead cranes in the United States that used 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch diameter ropes, the average life of the ropes was doubled. The authors attribute this increased performance to the ability of the penetrating lubricant to displace water and contaminants while replacing them with oil, which reduces the wear and corrosion occurring throughout the rope. A good spray with penetrating wire rope lubricant effectively acts as an oil change for wire ropes.

In these examples, the savings in wire rope replacement costs (downtime, labor and capital costs) were substantial and dwarfed the cost of the lubricants. Companies who have realized the importance of proper wire rope lubrication have gained a huge advantage over those who purchase the lowest priced lubricant, or no lubricant at all, while replacing ropes on a much more frequent basis.

Our users can always expect excellent performance from any one of our Kirkpatrick wire rope lubrication systems. Their superb engineering provides unmatched strand lubrication and cleaning benefiting customers in any industry where wire rope maintenance is a priority. The Wire Rope Surface and groove pattern are scraped clean of penetration blocking debris and product buildup as the wire rope surface is uniformly coated with new lubricant. Every space within the wire rope open to receive the newly applied wire rope lubricant is filled.

Optimum penetration occurs as the wire rope being serviced passes through a controlled 100% pressurized immersion within the system’s internal seal lubrication chamber. This immersion displaces any entrapped surface moisture within the rope’s internal strands and replaces it with the newly applied coating product. You can trust Kirkpatrick systems’ functionality with high- and low-viscosity coatings. Higher viscosity coating products maximize fluid film support against strand rubbing that can shorten any working ropes life due to friction wear. In the event your application requires low viscosity coatings such as a mining friction hoist; our systems easily apply those products as well accommodating high wire rope travel speeds.

Wire Rope Lubricant quickly penetrates to the core. This ensures that the rope is lubricated throughout while providing a nondrying, nontacky film on the outside of the rope which protects outer strands from corrosion as well as lubricating the wire rope drums and sheaves.

Lubricating with the aid of brushes, rags, gloves, or by other means is costly, risky, and ineffective. The lubricant forms a film on the surface which water vapour can penetrate, thus becoming trapped. Temperature changes cause condensation and rust then begins to form from the inside. A wire rope can appear to be in good condition, when in fact corrosion and friction are destroying it from the inside. Its useful life is shortened and it becomes potentially dangerous. Even factory lubricated wire rope requires regular relubrication.

Only the Masto Lubricator penetrates under high pressure all types of wire rope, such as Non-rotating, Dyform, and Locked Coil with heavy grade lubricant. NB. To obtain total penetration through a compact rope the pressure must be minimum 20 bar (285 PSI) in the chamber. Even wire rope subjected to severe surface wear will have a longer life when lubricated with the Masto. Stainless steel, galvanized, and other special types of wire rope require just as much lubrication since friction is the same and corrosion can also occur.

If you start using the MASTO Lubricator, the best results are obtained with the highest quality Wire Rope Grease. If you use SWEPCO 150 Wire Rope Grease your wire ropes will be protected in an optimum way.

An impressive load wear index of greater than 75 and 4-ball weld load of 800 kg demonstrate the superiority of SWEPCO 150’s industry leading extreme pressure and anti-wear protection. The result is significantly longer service life for wire rope and wire rope system components.

At Northern Strands we know first-hand the importance of wire rope lubrication. It is required during manufacturing, installation, and ongoing maintenance. Different hoists and applications require different types of lubrication. We carry everything from basic asphalt lube to soap grease and no- petroleum based lubes. With Northern Strands’ knowledge of wire rope, we can recommend and supply appropriate lubrication products and suggest the best lubrication methods.

CoreLube Equipment"s Helix Groove Cleaners are designed to remove contaminants from the valleys between the strands of wire rope. The cleaner works by rotating with the helical lay of the wire rope. The Helix Groove Cleaners are designed to work with CoreLubes applicator collars or thrust block.

A high-grade lubricating oil, fortified with molybdenum disulfide penetrates inaccessible areas and provides superior lubrication where temperatures and stress will break down ordinary lubricants.

Application: chain drives and pins, open gearing, sprockets, wire ropes, bushings, roller, clippers, cables, hoists, conveyors, and other metal surfaces.  Do not use on electrical equipment or machinery while in operation.