Lubrication Issues

GEMCO uses pneumatic circuits to control and monitor many parts of our blenders and dryers. We’ve found that mechanics either overlubricate or turn the lubricator off. This causes the most common problems. The valves do need to be lightly lubricated. There is a lubricator at the main air inlet to your GEMCO. It should be set to a small drip, not a constant dripping. This will take care of excess oil dripping from air valves, making a mess.

If you are in a sanitary environment, think about changing from industrial pneumatic oil to mineral oil. It’s safe, sanitary, provides lubricity and is easy to clean up. Here’s some more information on mineral oil.

Mineral oil is a clear, odorless liquid and a common ingredient in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products. Mineral oil is made from highly refined, purified and processed petroleum

Mineral oil is an inert, chemically stable ingredient, with a long history of safe use in common topical applications. FDA permits the use of mineral oil as an active ingredient in some over-the-counter (OTC) drug product categories, including anorectal drugs, skin protectants and ophthalmic moisturizers. In addition, the FDA regulates mineral oil as a multipurpose direct food additive with specific purposes, such as in the manufacture of yeast used to make bread, or to keep dust from adhering to some grains.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an independent expert scientific panel established by the Personal Care Products Council, also has evaluated the scientific data and concluded that mineral oil is safe for use as a cosmetic ingredient at the current concentrations of use.

The Cosmetics Directive of the European Union allows the use of mineral oil in cosmetics and personal care products with no listed restrictions.

If you’ve got an older GEMCO ask us about our in field updates to make it run like a brand new machine!