M A C H I N E R Y
GOLD STANDARD OF MAINTENANCE
PROVES VALUE OF HYDRAULINK’S LINCOLN AUTOMATED LUBRICATION SYSTEMS
An audit by Hydraulink
Lubrication of the
efficiency and reliability
of Lincoln automatic
lubrication systems used at
the OceanaGold Limited (OGL)
Macraes gold mine has confirmed
that such systems are good news
for operators of heavy mining,
construction and earthmoving
machinery.
The audit involved a fleet of 17 CAT
789C and D model 300-ton plus
dump trucks, as well as Hitachi
EX3600, EX1100 and CAT 5230
B Super Diggers used at the OGL
Macraes mine in East Otago, which
is New Zealand’s largest gold-
producing mine, yielding about two
million ounces since 1990.
OGL also operates an underground
mine at Macraes to complement the
original open-cut operations and
maintains its machinery in tip-top
condition to maximise throughput,
reliability and safety.
The large machinery on site is fitted
with Lincoln Automatic lubrication
Systems, for which Hydraulink is
a New Zealand distributor. The
Lubrication Systems allow OGL to
obtain benefits such as optimised
in-service times, reduced bearing
and pin wear, greater safety,
reduced lubricant waste and
sustainability though reduced heavy
maintenance tasks.
The audit – which all vehicles passed
with flying colours – was conducted
progressively over two separate
weeks as the OGL maintenance
staff made units available
successively from its fleet. Most
units came from the Coronation
opencast site and two vehicles
from the Fraser underground site.
Audits included each grease pump
being tested, all the grease lines
being removed from the injectors
and the systems being run through
a complete cycle, allowing the
Hydraulink Lubrication Team to audit
and record the efficiency of the
system and determine the amount
of grease being delivered to each
grease point.
“It is imperative that machinery of
this size get the correct amounts
of grease delivered to the joints
on a controlled and regular cycle,”
says Hydraulink’s Murray Allen,
NZ industrial manager – sales and
service.
“This is vital for the reliability,
lifespan and in-service availability
of these huge and expensive
machines, which are typical of
machinery used throughout
Australasia on mining, construction
and infrastructure sites.
Some of the Lincoln Single Line
Centro-Matic systems used in the
OceanaGold Macreas application
had been in service for up to 10
years. The audit found they were
all functioning to an expected
standard, said Mr Allen – “A couple
of minor system adjustments
where identified, but, other than
this, all systems where operating to
design specifications. OGL’s level
of maintenance was to a very high
standard, thanks to the OceanaGold
maintenance teams, who were
invaluable in assisting us to organise
the audits,” says Mr Allen.
Hydraulink also works in partnership
with major sites such as Macraes
in its role as a leading national
provider of skilled, cost-effective
expertise on-site and off-site
across all aspects of the supply and
maintenance of hydraulic hoses,
fittings, adaptors and accessories.
Hydraulink supplies such products
and service through more than 400
hose service points throughout
Australasia, with a reach extending
from some of the remotest mining
and energy projects to some
of the largest construction and
infrastructure projects throughout
Asia-Pacific, including major road
upgrades, OEM equipment and
vehicle service for a huge range
of industries. Its service teams
are supported by mobile units to
provide 24/7 service from a single
contact point whenever they are
needed to optimise uptime and
ensure safety, uniformly high
standards of compliance and
traceability and to facilitate the
smooth flow of maintenance across
different sites and across entire
company operations.
Mr Allen says ensuring fixed plant
and mobile machinery is properly
lubricated keeps money in the
pocket of owners and operators,
because under-lubrication is a major
cause of machine unreliability and
downtime due to bearing and pin
failure.
“Equipment failures due to
inadequate lubrication of bearings
and other moving parts result
in costly repairs. Even more
importantly, failures can curtail
production and often lead to
difficult repairs in the dark recesses
of heavy machinery. That's why
safety and efficiency-minded
organisations, such as OceanaGold,
are quick to realise the benefits
of systems that automatically
lubricate all friction points on mobile
machinery at regular intervals
while it's running. Hydraulink’s
many branches throughout NZ
can meet all Automatic Lubrication
Requirements covering installation
and servicing in many different
applications.
Lincoln Auto Lubrication Systems
from Hydraulink:
1. Reduce repairs by increasing
bearing life (from 20% to 100%
depending on environment and
quality of the previous manual
lubrication method).
2. Lubricate while the machinery is
in operation, causing the lubricant
to be equally distributed within
the bearing and increasing the
machine’s availability
3. Prevent waste of lubricant by
dispensing precise amounts.
Precise lubrication amounts for
different lubrication points means
no wasted lubricant
4. Reduce man hours by reducing
the need for manual lubrication.
They also enhance safety
because they curtail the need to
climb around machinery or to go
into confined, often dark, spaces
or areas to perform maintenance
where gases, exhausts and trip
and fall hazards may be an issue
5. Ensure hard-to-reach bearings
and bearings in potentially
hazardous areas are lubricated
without machine shutdown.
All critical components are
lubricated, regardless of location
or ease of access
6. Eliminate lost production costs
from shutdown for manual
lubrication, thereby increasing
production.
7. Reduce energy requirements
and enhance sustainability: by
increasing machine efficiency
(lowering bearing friction).
Proper lubrication of critical
components helps ensure safe
and failure-free operation of the
machinery.
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