Spray-Lube System Saves Electrolux Barrels Upon Barrels of Lubricant

Italian appliance manufacturer Electrolux, in its efforts to automate its stamping-lubrication processes, has invested in a Sagoma-series adjustable-spray lube system from DIetronic. The investment is in keeping with the company’s consumable-consumption goals, says an Electrolux production manager. “We realized that using more oil than the requested quantity did not improve quality,” he says. “On the contrary, our department was getting more and more claims from other departments here due to the scrap caused by improper surface treatments. We had been using a pre-pressurized lubrication system, leading to excessive lubricant consumption. When we switched to the Dietronic system, lube consumption went from 12 barrels/yr. to only 1 barrel/yr.”

Rather than using rollers that cover the entire sheetmetal work surface, or spraying lubricant without control into the die, Electrolux employs the Sagoma precision-spray system to cover just the areas to be formed with a precise amount of oil. Using the Sagoma system, an operator views the sheet layout on a touchscreen control unit, and can select the amount of lubricant to be applied (in ounces/sq. ft.) among eight different areas on the blank. The setup allows coverage of a minimum area of 50 by 50 mm.

In addition to reducing lube consumption, Electrolux improved its working environment by eliminating oil mists and leaks while reducing die-maintenance costs. The firm also employs a double-tank solution that allows the use of more than one kind of lubricant, minimizing changeover times.

“Since installing the new lubrication system on the press line,” says an Electrolux production manager, “downtime and scrap rates have been reduced by 70 percent.”