Grease Gun – Uses and the Benefits

The grease gun (กระบอกอัดจารบี, term in Thai) is one of the tools commonly used in the manufacturing industry. If you work in an industry that uses grease guns or simply want to know more about grease guns and their importance in the plant and manufacturing industry, then this article is for you. First of all, you need to know that there are different types of grease guns and each comes with uses and benefits.

Different types of grease guns

A grease gun can be powered in many ways, such as by air, hand, or electricity. The hand-powered grease gun is also known as the “manual gun,” and it is often manufactured using a lever or a pistol grip. Each type comes with benefits, and the appeal of using them will depend on the intended application and the lubrication preference of the technician.

• Manual/Lever – It is the type of grease commonly used by technicians. It has the ability to supply about 1.28 grams of grease per pump. It is manual because it needs manual pumping to release the grease.
• Manual/pistol – It is somewhat similar to that of the lever, but the difference is that it allows a one-handed pumping method. However, it only delivers about 0.86 grams of grease per pump.
• Battery/pistol grip – As the name suggests, it is a battery-operated grease gun. One of the primary advantages of this type of grease gun is that it is cordless.
• Pneumatic/pistol grip – It uses compressed air directed into the grease gun using a hose, which activates a positive displacement with every trigger.

Grease as a lubricant

Grease is used as a lubricant for grease guns because of its ability to cling to the machine’s moving surfaces without the possibility of oil leakage. It is a must to have a full understanding of the gun’s proper grease gun operation, especially knowing the signs of under-greasing and over-greasing. It is also essential to understand the frequency of grease re-application as it is essential in extending the life of the machine.

 High Grease Gun Pressure

A high-pressure manual grease gun is one of the heavy-duty tools because of its ability to deliver 2,000 to 15,000 psi. However, you must know the amount of pressure you put on it. If you apply more than the pressure can hold, it can damage the bearing seals. Signs that you are exerting too much pressure include damage to the bearing seals, a collapsed bearing shield, and altered safety in handling the gun. It can also have an environmental impact.

Regreasing Frequency

How often should you regrease the gun? To keep the machine in its best shape, you must grease it when needed only. If the regreasing frequency is too long, it could lead to lubricant starvation, causing wear, friction, and grease contamination. What about if the frequency of regreasing is short? It could cause excessive consumption of grease along with other environmental issues.

The amount of grease matters too. Over-greasing and under-greasing can compromise the quality of the machine. You should know the symptoms of over-greasing and under-greasing. You know you are over greasing when the seal shows damage, the motor is winding, and there’s fluid friction. Under greasing is most likely the case if there’s bearing starvation leading to friction wear.