Automatic lubrication of a large-size fan at BMW

Challenge

A downtime of several hours for the drive-side bearings of the painting facility’s large fan was no longer acceptable for BMW. This was caused by overlubrication of the fan’s bearing positions. Because a large quantity of lubricant had been added manually on one occasion, the temperature following relubrication rose from 55 °C to as high as 80 °C, leading to temperature overload. This resulted in a disproportionately high level of strain on the lubricant that was used and thus caused the bearing to prematurely fail. The objective was to improve the machine’s availability by means of an optimized lubricant supply and reduce the maintenance outlay at the same time. A further requirement was for lubrication to be possible without shutting down the machine.

Solution

Schaeffler and its sales partner Altmann recommended that the BMW Group use the Schaeffler CONCEPT8. With up to 8 outlets, this automatic lubricant system provides precise quantity metering and thereby ensures an optimum supply of lubricant to the large fan. The various lubricant quantities required by the different lubrication points were no problem, as the lubricant system is equipped with four individually adjustable pump bodies.

Special features of the project

The application described here is a customer-specific solution with standard components and can be used wherever ventilation systems are employed. The grease cartridges can be filled with either high-performance greases from Schaeffler’s Arcanol range or with customer-specific greases. The solution described here can also be applied to other painting and ventilation facilities.

Other applications for the Schaeffler CONCEPT8 include electric motors, pumps, gearboxes, and compressors.

Customer

The BMW Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium-class cars. The Group’s factory in Regensburg went into operation in 1986, and since then over six million BMW vehicles have rolled off its production line.