Creating A More Productive Plant

When you work in a processing and manufacturing plant, there are so many simple and complex machines that need to be maintained while they are in operation. Some of these simpler machines are pumps. There are three kinds of common pumps in factories-- air/hydraulic pumps, water pumps and lubricant pumps. Here are the pump services each of these types of pumps should receive, and why you need these services.

Air/Hydraulic Pumps

Pump services for air or hydraulic pumps include:

• Checking for leaks
• Repairing pistons
• Replacing worn out parts and lubricating the hydraulic tubes (if applicable) 
• Checking for cracks in air pump lines and repairing the cracks or replacing the tubing

These pumps in a factory setting are often responsible for delivering chemicals or paint at an accelerated force. When these pumps do not function properly, your company cannot inject materials or chemicals with speed and accuracy, nor can your employees apply coats of paint quickly. 

Water Pumps

Water pumps either deliver jets of water to a surface or provide water to cool overheated machinery via a pump delivery system. Without your company's water pumps, the affected machinery could burn up and burn out, costing you hundreds to thousands of dollars to repair or replace.

Pump services for water pumps make sure that:

• There are no blockages or debris in the lines or plumbing feeding the water pumps
• The water feed from the pumps into the machines or the jet sprays is expressing enough water to complete the tasks appropriately
• The temperature of the water passing through the pumps is correct for the job or task at hand

Water pumps may also be serviced for some of the same reasons that air or hydraulic pumps are serviced (e.g., leaks, etc.).

Lubricant Pumps

Lubricant pumps may be some of the most important pumps of all in your factory. All machines have moving parts, and all of these moving parts need lubrication to keep moving. The pumps responsible for oiling and greasing the machinery do so to keep the biggest, heaviest and most grinding components moving.

Pump services for lubricant pumps include:

• Checking the injection systems
• Checking the levels of lubricant in the reserve tanks 
• Looking for and releasing blockages in the lubricant pump's lines
• Checking the control switches on the lubricant pumps to make sure they are working effectively and are autonomous (where  applicable)

Your lubricant pumps are responsible for all of the "well-oiled" machines in your plant. Servicing these pumps essentially services the machines as a whole, which is why you should not skip these pumps when you are having other types of pumps serviced.