Price is now a major factor in customer purchase decision-making. Rising costs are an important issue that wider society and the lubrication industry are contending with. However, sometimes a reduced price can come with the cost of a poor-quality product. This principle is directly applicable to the purchase of grease fittings.
Whilst grease fittings may be a small component within a much larger mechanical machine or vehicle, their role and importance cannot be associated with their size. Grease fittings are vital to the long-term life and maintenance of the machines, vehicles, and other products on which they are installed. A poorly manufactured grease fitting can be compromising to the piece of equipment it is installed upon.
How do you spot a poorly manufactured Grease Fitting?
Recently, at Kingfisher, we acquired samples of grease fittings from some competitors. Intended as part of routine market research, the activity unveiled some alarming issues with poorly manufactured grease nipples.
Breakage
One sample tested cracked at the tip when a grease gun was applied. This caused grease to leak from the crack causing a potential hazard to the operator. High-pressure grease can cause serious injuries and in extreme cases, death. The crack was caused by badly drilled fittings giving inconsistent thickness of material. An invisible fault that could have devastating consequences.
Leaking
One of the issues with one of the samples was that they failed the leakage test. This poses a major risk to the maintenance of the machinery. Considering that the grease is intended to go into the machine when a fitting fails the leakage test, it achieves the exact opposite. The grease will seep out of the side of the fitting resulting in the machine receiving no lubrication. Consequently, over the longer term, the machine could suffer further maintenance issues or break down altogether if it does not receive the correct lubrication due to a leaking grease nipple.
Dimensionally incorrect and inconsistent
Grease fittings are made to standard dimensions and with defined thread types to ensure that they meet the requirements of the desired application. One of the samples acquired was dimensionally incorrect. This can lead to the grease gun couplers not engaging onto the fitting correctly, threads not fully engaging and other problems.
Additionally, some of the sample fittings had small inlet holes for which the lubricants would be transferred. If the hole at the tip of the grease fitting is too small, this will limit the flow of the grease into the fitting and increase the pressure required to lubricate the fitting. Some samples had slack (undersized) threads. If the thread is slack, the grease fitting is likely to not seal into the intended hole correctly. Leakage then becomes a high probability. If the grease is leaking, it is not getting to the required lubrication point. These inconsistencies in manufacturing are likely to affect to usability of the grease fitting, especially in automated assembly lines where consistency is vital. Inconsistency of fittings is not easily recognisable but can cause serious problems further down the line.
Unhardened fittings
Some of the steel samples that were tested were found to be unhardened. Grease couplers, used to transfer grease into the grease fitting and lubricate the system, often have hardened steel jaws. These can exert large forces under high pressure and lead to grease fittings being damaged, reducing their service life. Grease fittings should be case-hardened to remove this threat.
Additionally, self-forming grease fittings need to form a thread into an untapped hole. Case hardening grease fittings enable them to do this. If self-forming grease fittings are not correctly case hardened, then no thread is likely to be formed, making the fitting unfit for purpose. Good quality fittings should form a thread in most materials. Some of the self-forming fittings that were tested appeared to have the correct hardness but failed to form a thread in tough materials. This can also cause damage to the hole, leaving the component needing rework or to be scrapped.
Collapsed springs
Several samples showed signs of collapsed springs after high-pressure testing. This prevents the ball from reseating at the ball check. This would indicate that the springs have not been stress-relieved. The gap that is created between the ball check and the tip of the grease fitting will cause dirt and other contaminants to thrive because of the collapsed spring. This will limit the usage of the grease fitting and lead to damaging contaminants entering the machine or vehicle.
Another consequence of a collapsed spring is that it can block off the flow of grease through the fitting preventing lubrication of vital components. These grease fittings would no longer be suitable, creating the need for a new fitting to be installed which would mean increased costs and potential machine downtime. Stress-relieved springs are an important part of quality grease fittings. A stress-relieved spring will allow the fitting to withstand high pressures and ensure that the ball check will return to its intended position after being lubricated.
Why should you invest in high-quality grease fittings?
Grease fittings are small components that are only needed when required. Whilst this is true when machines need to be maintained, grease fittings are vital to ensuring the long-term condition and functionality of the machine. Quality should not be compromised as a consequence of price. Overall, faulty grease nipples are likely to increase costs by a much more significant amount.
If one of the previously identified manufacturing faults occurs with the grease fitting, this can impact a valuable piece of equipment in more ways than one:
- Grease fittings may need to be reinstalled – increasing downtime of machinery and potentially causing damage to equipment.
- Contaminants entering the machinery – if contaminants can easily ingress into a faulty fitting, these contaminants can be spread throughout the machinery potentially leading to an expensive breakdown or downtime.
- Leaking fittings – if fittings cannot withstand the required pressures, fittings will likely leak grease and lubricant will not find its way to its destination.
Saving a few pennies on a relatively low-cost component could eventually cost thousands in repair and downtime.
Why should you choose Kingfisher Lubrication?
At Kingfisher, we pride ourselves on being a high-quality British manufacturer of grease fittings. From embodying Made in Britain as part of our brand identity, to using the best-in-class manufacturing processes to reduce faults, we are determined to deliver world-class lubrication fittings to meet the demands of our customers.
Some of the distinguishable qualities of Kingfisher Lubrication Grease Fittings include:
- Specialised Case Hardening
- Rigorous Quality Control Systems
- Stress-Relieved Springs
- Kinglok® Technology (Angle Fittings)
- Ball-check
- High Quality, Fully Traceable Materials
You can find out more about our world-class range of market-leading grease fittings here.
Find out more about Kingfisher (Lubrication) Ltd on their member profile page here
Member-created content 1 year ago | From members