# Injection Moulding Machine Lubrication > Lubrication systems for injection moulding machine tie bars, toggle clamping units and ejector guides in India, not a mould release agent. Source: https://herglube.in/applications/injection-moulding-machine-lubrication/ Herg Lubrication India: centralised lubrication systems for industrial and automotive machinery, supplied across India. Enquiries: https://herglube.in/contact/ --- A toggle-type injection moulding machine opens and closes its clamping unit several times a minute, every minute of every shift, on tie bars and toggle pivots that see no rest between cycles. We supply the grease and oil lubrication systems that keep that unit running: metered to the tie bars, the toggle links and the ejector guides, factory-fit to moulding machine builders in India and as retrofit kits for moulding shops. Not what you're after? This page is about greasing the machine itself, not the plastic. A mould release agent or internal polymer lubricant is a different product entirely; this is the lubrication system for the tie bars, toggle and ejector guides of the machine that clamps the mould. ![A plastics moulding machine on a factory floor, with hoppers and a control panel](https://herglube.in/images/application-plastics-packaging.webp) *The lubrication points* ## What a clamping unit's lubrication system feeds Under about 20 points on most machines, all on the clamping side: the barrel and screw take a process lubricant, not this system. *Diagram: A toggle-type clamping unit: a fixed platen, a moving platen and a rear platen, joined by tie bars and driven through a toggle linkage. Three numbered points mark where lubrication is applied: the tie bar bushing, the toggle pivot, and the ejector guide.* *The clamping side only: the screw and barrel take a process lubricant, not this system.* *Point 1* ### Tie bars The four rods the moving platen slides on as the mould opens and closes. Each bushing needs a continuous oil film: dry running here galls the tie bar and throws off the platen parallelism the mould depends on. *Point 2* ### Toggle pivots The pin joints of the toggle linkage that multiplies motor force into clamp tonnage. A toggle-type machine can carry a dozen or more of these pivots, each taking a grease charge every cycle under real load. *Point 3* ### Ejector guides The pins and bushings that guide the ejector plate forward to release the moulded part. Lighter duty than the toggle, but a dry ejector guide sticks, and a stuck ejector is a stopped machine. *Not this system* ### Screw & barrel The plasticising screw runs against a process lubricant or additive package chosen for the polymer, not a centralised grease or oil system. If that's what you're after, this isn't the right page. *The architecture* ## Why resist-type distribution suits this machine A toggle clamping unit puts a dozen or more grease points on one relatively compact assembly, none of them far from the pump: exactly the point count and pipe run a [resist-type distributor](https://herglube.in/shop/tcj-and-tcz-resist-type-distributor/) is built for, metering by flow resistance rather than a piston. Larger, high-tonnage machines with more points or a heavier grease duty move to a volumetric or progressive distributor instead, the same step up in architecture that construction and forging machinery use. See [how the three metering architectures compare](https://herglube.in/how-it-works/#metering). **Clamping unit lubrication points and matching Herg components** | Point | Lubricant | Metering | Herg components | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tie bars | Oil | Resist type, continuous film | [TCJ / TCZ resist distributor](https://herglube.in/shop/tcj-and-tcz-resist-type-distributor/) + [HL pump](https://herglube.in/shop/hl-type-oil-lubrication-pump/) | | Toggle pivots | Grease | Resist type, per-cycle charge | [TCJ / TCZ resist distributor](https://herglube.in/shop/tcj-and-tcz-resist-type-distributor/) + [GM grease pump](https://herglube.in/shop/gm-type-grease-lubrication-pump/) | | Ejector guides | Grease | Resist type, light duty | [NKGH manual grease pump](https://herglube.in/shop/nkgh-manual-grease-pump/) | | Monitoring | N/A | N/A | [Level indicator](https://herglube.in/shop/oil-level-indicator/), [pressure switch](https://herglube.in/shop/pressure-switches/), [filter](https://herglube.in/shop/filiter/) | *Supplied for Indian moulding shops* ## Built for the machine and the duty Moulding shops in India run everything from small manual machines topped up by hand to large motor-driven clamping units cycling continuously near a hot mould and barrel, where grease consistency matters as much as point count: see [choosing the right grade](https://herglube.in/lubricant-selection/) for what the duty and temperature call for. Pumps are available in 12/24 V DC, 110/220 V AC and 415 V 3-phase, on a built-in timer or cycled from the machine controller, with an [installation and operating manual](https://herglube.in/downloads/) for every product. *Who we supply* ## Factory-fit for builders, retrofit for moulding shops *Moulding machine builders* ### OEM production supply We supply lubrication systems against OEM production schedules, engineered to the clamping unit design with consistent specification and batch documentation for every unit. If you build injection moulding machines, start with the pump and distributor range and we'll match it to your tonnage and point count. [Discuss an OEM programme →](https://herglube.in/contact/) *Moulding shops* ### Retrofit & replacement A machine running on manual grease guns at the tie bars and toggle can be retrofitted without redesigning the clamping unit: pump, distributor and tubing sized to the existing points. We also supply drop-in replacement pumps and distributors, with [troubleshooting guidance](https://herglube.in/troubleshooting/) online. [Ask about a retrofit →](https://herglube.in/contact/) *Common questions* ## Injection moulding machine lubrication, answered ### Is this the same as a mould release agent? No. A mould release agent or internal polymer lubricant is applied to or blended with the plastic so a moulded part comes free of the tool. This page is about the grease and oil system that lubricates the machine's own tie bars, toggle pivots and ejector guides: two different products for two different jobs. ### What does an injection moulding machine's lubrication system lubricate? The clamping unit: tie bar bushings, toggle linkage pivots and ejector guide pins. The screw and barrel run on a separate process lubricant chosen for the polymer, not this system. ### Why do tie bars need lubrication? The moving platen slides on all four tie bars every cycle. Without a maintained oil film the bushing galls the bar, which throws off the platen's parallelism to the fixed platen: exactly what the mould depends on staying square. ### How many lubrication points does a toggle clamping unit have? Under about 20 on most machines: four tie bar bushings, a dozen or so toggle pivots depending on the linkage design, and the ejector guides. Larger high-tonnage machines run more points and may move to a heavier-duty architecture. ### Can this be retrofitted to an existing moulding machine? Yes. A retrofit is a pump with reservoir, a resist-type distributor and tubing routed to the existing tie bar, toggle and ejector points, sized to the machine rather than requiring a redesign. ### Do you supply injection moulding machine builders in India? Yes. We supply moulding machine OEMs and moulding shops across India, engineering the pump and distributor package to each machine's tonnage and point count. [Send us an enquiry](https://herglube.in/contact/) with your machine details. ## Building or maintaining moulding machines? Tell us the machine tonnage, the toggle or platen arrangement and the lubrication points, and we'll come back with the pump and distributor package that fits, for one retrofit or a production line. [ Send an enquiry](https://herglube.in/contact/)