An unclamping booster runs on the plant's compressed air and nothing else, so air quality decides whether it performs reliably over the long term. When tool changes misbehave on site, the cause is often the compressed air rather than the booster itself. Here is how to prepare the air supply properly.
1. The rule: dry first, then filter, then lubricate
The piston, seals and solenoid valve on the air side are lubricated by grease applied at the factory, maintained by the lubricator in the air-service unit. Moisture in the air washes that grease away and, over time, leads to rust and seal wear. So dry air comes first. Lubrication extends service life, but it cannot make up for wet air.
2. Recommended set-up
- Fit a refrigerated dryer at the compressor outlet, and add a water separator partway along long pipe runs.
- Branch the main line to each machine with an "up, then down" take-off so water cannot run straight into the equipment.
- At the machine, use an air-service unit with a lubricator (filter, regulator, lubricator).
- If supply pressure is below 0.5 MPa, or several machines cycle at once and pressure drops, fit a 6 L air tank (HINAKA HAT-6H) between the air-service unit and the booster to keep the drop during tool change within ±0.1 MPa.
- Recommended working pressure is 0.6 MPa; BPFQ needs at least 0.6 MPa; maximum 0.8 MPa.
3. Three lubrication details
- Drip rate: about one drop per 20 cycles, and never so much that the silencer emits oil mist. Too much oil mists from the silencer and restricts exhaust.
- Oil: ISO VG32 (CPC-R32) or equivalent. Do not use cutting oil or oils with extreme-pressure additives; they attack the O-rings.
- Once you start lubricating, do not stop: the lubricator gradually replaces the factory grease, so stopping later leaves the parts under-lubricated.
4. Maintenance intervals
- Daily: drain the filter bowl and air tank
- Weekly: check lubricator oil level and drip rate
- Monthly: inspect and clean the silencers
- Every 3 months: confirm the air-service unit is lubricating
- Replace silencers: about 1.5 years at 8 h/day; 9 months at 16 h/day; 6 months at 24 h/day
5. Quick on-site guide
- First tool change after a shutdown is sluggish: usually the solenoid valve is under-lubricated. Adjust the lubricator slightly and press the valve's manual button a few times.
- Unclamping slow or weak: check that the gauge reads the set pressure and that it does not drop more than 0.1 MPa during tool change, then check the silencers for blockage.
- Oil mist from the silencer: too much lubrication; turn the lubricator down.
- Oil-and-water mist from the silencer: wet air; improve drying and draining.
With a properly prepared air supply, the booster delivers the performance it was built for. For set-up advice, contact HINAKA technical support through Contact Us.
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