Textile Machinery Lubrication
A spinning frame carries the same bearing a few hundred times over, all running at speed, all needing a small and repeatable amount of oil. We supply the centralised oil systems that feed them: resist-type and volumetric distributors metering oil to spindles, drafting rollers and gear ends, factory-fit to textile machinery builders in India and as retrofit kits for mills.
The lubrication points
What a textile lubrication system feeds
Oil rather than grease, in small doses, to a lot of points that are all much the same. The problem here is not load, as it is on plant or a chassis: it is repeatability across a long line of identical bearings, and keeping the oil off the yarn.
Point 1
Spindle bearings
The bearing each spindle turns in, repeated the length of the frame. Individually they need very little oil; collectively they are the reason a machine has a centralised system at all, because a few hundred points on a hand oiling round is how points get missed.
Point 2
Drafting roller bearings
The journals of the roller pairs that draw the sliver down to its final count. They run slower than the spindles but under nip pressure, and they sit directly above the product, so the dose here has to be metered rather than fed continuously.
Point 3
Gear end & cam boxes
The drive end of the machine: change gears, cams and the shafts that time the whole frame. Fewer points than the spindle row, but heavier duty, and usually the only place on the machine where a noticeably larger dose is wanted.
Not this system
The yarn, and sealed assemblies
An oil-stained yarn is scrap, so the point of metering here is as much about not delivering too much as too little. Motor bearings sealed at assembly and any component running in its own oil bath are outside this system and should stay that way.
The architecture
Resist type or volumetric, by what the point needs
Both architectures are used on textile machinery, and they answer different questions. A resist-type distributor meters by flow resistance: it has a built-in filter screen and a single-side valve, controls flow through a damping orifice, and delivers oil to each point in proportion, working from 1.5 to 20 kgf/cm². It is simple and cheap per point, which is what a long row of identical, undemanding bearings wants. A volumetric distributor instead injects a fixed dose as line pressure rises and refills as it drops: 0.03 to 0.4 mL per outlet on the RH3, two to five outlets per block with more connectable. Where a point needs a known quantity rather than a share of the flow, that is the one to specify. See how the architectures meter a dose and choosing the right distributor.
The choice constrains the pump, and this is the part that is easiest to get wrong. A volumetric distributor only actuates once the line reaches its guarantee pressure: 12 to 15 kgf/cm² on the RH3, 8 to 12 kgf/cm² on the 34 type. A TZ or HL gear pump is rated at 15 kgf/cm² and reaches 25, so either will drive one. The low-pressure pumps will not: the BM cycloidal pump tops out at 5.0 kgf/cm² and the TM intermittent pump at 0.3 MPa, which is about 3 kgf/cm². Both sit comfortably inside the resist-type window and neither will actuate a volumetric block. Pick the architecture first, then the pump that can drive it.
| Point | Metering | Pressure needed | Herg components |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spindle bearings, long rows | Resist type, proportioned | 1.5 to 20 kgf/cm² | TCJ / TCZ distributor + BM or TM pump |
| Spindle bearings, dosed | Volumetric, 0.03 to 0.4 mL | 12 to 15 kgf/cm² | RH3 distributor + TZ pump |
| Drafting roller bearings | Volumetric, 0.03 to 0.16 mL | 8 to 12 kgf/cm² | 34 type distributor + HL pump |
| Gear end & cam boxes | Single-line metering, fixed dose | 12 to 15 kgf/cm² | DK distributor, 0.05 to 0.5 mL/cycle |
| Small machines, hand-pumped | Resist type or volumetric | By distributor | NKHY manual oil pump |
| Line branching | N/A | N/A | TH joint fitting, nylon tube |
| Monitoring | N/A | N/A | Level indicator, pressure switch, filter |
The oil
Viscosity is set by the distributor, not the pump
The pumps are tolerant: the TZ and HL both take oil from 30 to 1000 cSt. The distributors are not, and they are what decides the specification. A TCJ or TCZ resist-type block wants 20 to 50 cSt, because it meters through a damping orifice and a thicker oil changes the proportion it delivers. The RH3 and the 34 type are wider at 20 to 500 cSt. So on a resist-type system the oil is chosen inside a narrow band that the pump would otherwise have let you ignore. See choosing the right lubricant.
Control follows the mill rather than the machine. The TZ pump is available in 24 V DC, 110 V AC, 220 V AC and 415 V three-phase, with a built-in microcomputer for setting the action and intermittent period, so it can be cycled from the machine or left to run itself. The TM intermittent pump takes the opposite approach: a synchronous timer motor sets the interval mechanically at 2.4, 6, 12, 15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes, so it needs no external timer or controller at all. On a floor of many identical machines with no PLC to speak of, that is often the easier specification to repeat and to maintain. The HL pump comes with a level switch fitted and takes a pressure switch, which together give intermittent running plus an alarm.
Who we supply
Factory-fit for builders, retrofit for mills
Textile machinery builders
OEM production supply
We supply lubrication systems against OEM production schedules, engineered to the frame and its point count, with consistent specification and batch documentation for every unit. If you build spinning, weaving, knitting or processing machinery, start with the pump range and the distributor range and we will match them to the machine.
Discuss an OEM programme →Mills & maintenance teams
Retrofit & replacement
A frame still on a hand oiling round can be fitted with a pump, a distributor set and tubing run to the existing points, without rebuilding the machine. We also supply drop-in replacement pumps and distributors for systems already installed, with fault finding guidance online.
Ask about a retrofit →Common questions
Textile machinery lubrication, answered
Resist type or volumetric for textile machinery?
Resist type where a long row of similar bearings each needs a proportioned share of the oil, and it is the cheaper option per point. Volumetric where a point needs a known dose regardless of pipe run, which the RH3 delivers at 0.03 to 0.4 mL per outlet.
Which pump drives a volumetric distributor?
One that reaches the distributor's guarantee pressure. The RH3 needs 12 to 15 kgf/cm² and the 34 type 8 to 12, so a TZ or HL pump at 15 kgf/cm² rated will drive either. The BM at 5.0 kgf/cm² and the TM at 0.3 MPa will not, and are for resist-type systems.
Which oil viscosity does the system need?
The distributor decides. A TCJ or TCZ resist-type block wants 20 to 50 cSt; the RH3 and 34 type take 20 to 500 cSt. The TZ and HL pumps themselves accept 30 to 1000 cSt, so the pump is rarely the constraint.
Can the system run without a PLC or controller?
Yes. The TM intermittent pump sets its interval with a synchronous timer motor built into the pump head, fixed at 2.4, 6, 12, 15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes on a 50 Hz supply, so no external timer is needed. The TZ pump has its own microcomputer for the same job if the interval needs changing.
Will the oil reach the yarn?
Not if the dose is right, which is the argument for a metered system over hand oiling or a continuous drip. Volumetric and single-line metering blocks deliver a fixed quantity per cycle, so the amount arriving at a point above the product is a number you set rather than a matter of how long someone held the oil can.
How many points can one distributor feed?
The RH3 and 34 type come in two, three, four or five outlets, and further outlets can be connected, so a long frame is covered by building up blocks and branching with a TH joint fitting of two to ten outlets rather than by one oversized block.
Is there a manual option for a small machine?
Yes. The NKHY pull-type oil pump feeds a resist-type system directly, and with its pressure take-off mechanism it also suits a volumetric one. Its own description names textile machines among its applications, alongside machine tools, woodworking, plastics and packing.
Do you supply textile machinery builders in India?
Yes. We supply machinery builders and mills across India, engineering the pump and distributor package to the frame and its point count. Send us an enquiry with the machine and the points you need fed.
Building or running textile machinery?
Tell us the machine, the number of points and the oil you run, and we will come back with the pump and distributor package that fits, for one retrofit or a production line.