Lubrication on newer "dry head" machines

[R8R]

I am copy/pasting here a post I made in another topic to get a more specific conversation going.

 

I have a new Juki "semi-dry" machine (LU-2810) that is lubed by an oil pump underneath for the hook and lower feed, but lubed by grease and wicks on everything above the bed. Zero oil on these upper parts. None. The manual has one page about lubrication and it's basically just about how to fill the lower oil tank. There is no information about grease - like what grease, how often to re-grease, etc. (monthly, yearly?)

It is seemingly "permanently lubed" north of the bed according to the manual.

I come from bike shops and factory maintenance jobs. (I was also facility and equipment manager at a big screen print shop) I live by the book for maintenance but this seems like machine suicide. There must be SOME kind of recommended interval for greasing these machines? Like...the needle bar not needing oil...that's just WEIRD.

Anyone have an engineer's manual for these types of Jukis?

One thing I learned long ago is that if it is truly engineered for grease - DON'T oil it. Oil eventually dilutes the grease and may not supply proper lubricity for a given part.

 

Thoughts?

 

One thing I love is I don't really have to worry about staining at all. No need to wipe down the foot every time I start up.

[DrmCa]

My wife's Singer 99 survived close to 150 years of use without any lubrication whatsoever. Not that I am advocating doing so, just mentioning.

Are you running the machine at full speed before looking for oil?

[R8R]

3 minutes ago, DrmCa said:

My wife's Singer 99 survived close to 150 years of use without any lubrication whatsoever. Not that I am advocating doing so, just mentioning.

Are you running the machine at full speed before looking for oil?

You misunderstood. The machine is designed to have zero oil on the upper parts. Grease only. I'm trying to figure out how often to re-grease - there is no mention of it in the manual.

(the hook get's plenty of oil, I did the paper splash test)

[brmax]

Maybe, Gottaknow can shed some light on this subject. If my memory serves me correct he works on some. 

Good luck

Floyd

[gottaknow]

Juki’s dry head system has been around for a while now. On my 9010’s that get 40 hours a week on them, we check the grease monthly. Remove the caps and press the grease down with your finger. Time will tell if this system works long term, but no way these machines will last as long as the old Singers and such. Too much alloys and not enough steel throughout them. Factories only need them to last five years until they are fully depreciated. 

Regards, Eric 

[R8R]

3 hours ago, gottaknow said:

Juki’s dry head system has been around for a while now. On my 9010’s that get 40 hours a week on them, we check the grease monthly. Remove the caps and press the grease down with your finger. Time will tell if this system works long term, but no way these machines will last as long as the old Singers and such. Too much alloys and not enough steel throughout them. Factories only need them to last five years until they are fully depreciated. 

Regards, Eric 

Thanks for the reply.

If and when it needs a little more grease, what do you use? Does Juki have some special grease they recommend?

 

 

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

That's actually a good question, I'm not really sure.  I covered the owners and engineers books and there is nothing as to the grease, part number, nor a maintenance procedure.  

[R8R]

So on page 117 of the parts manual for the 2810, it lists "Juki Grease A" part number 40006323.

This is the same grease listed for the 9000 series machines, and a few others. I'll prob grab a tube at some point.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I found this floating around, this supplement is for this exactly, but still not 100 percent clear.

1500 Series Supplement on lubrication.pdf

[R8R]

Ok the 2810 engineer's manual (thanks again Greg!) says to grease the machine under standard duty every 2 to 3 years. Not days, not months. YEARS.

However, they list 3 different greases, with Juki "A" grease being the predominant one, plus "Unirex N3" (which is an industrial grease from Mobil)

But excuse me Juki...WTF is "Barch L1002"?? It's not even coming up on google.

 

Is there a single solution grease that I can slap in there when the time comes?

 

[R8R]

Same thing on the used LK-1900A I just got, but there are FOUR different recommended greases. WTF?

[gottaknow]

A decent alternative lube is TriFlo grease. It’s a touch thinner than white lithium, but soooo slippery. I like it for used machines because it will loosen up a dry head making it quieter and smoother. It also doesn’t get pushed out with rotating components like thicker lubes do. 

Regards, Eric 

[R8R]

9 minutes ago, gottaknow said:

A decent alternative lube is TriFlo grease. It’s a touch thinner than white lithium, but soooo slippery. I like it for used machines because it will loosen up a dry head making it quieter and smoother. It also doesn’t get pushed out with rotating components like thicker lubes do. 

Regards, Eric 

Good to know. I am partial to Synco Super Lube ptfe grease. M&R specs it for their automatic screen printing presses, it's all I used for years, zero parts failures with it.

For a Juki...is four different greases really a required thing though?

[gottaknow]

Juki’s come out of many different factories. Some are still made in Japan, most in China. Garment machines require lube that can be cleaned out of fabrics with an atomizer gun and solvent. Most lubes don’t meet this requirement so you end up with a bunch of oddball stuff nobody recognizes. The dry head system was developed because the machining tolerances are poor on the Chinese units, they couldn’t keep oil in the heads and it was costing factories a lot of money for cleaning sewn goods. They sold the catch phrase dry head when it should be called “we can’t keep the oil in”. The different lubes are likely a result of regional factory locations. Juki A is your best bet, it’s the most common over all their many classes. 

Regards, Eric

[R8R]

8 minutes ago, gottaknow said:

 Juki A is your best bet, it’s the most common over all their many classes. 

Thanks! So I can assume diagrams like this pointing to 3 different greases are being a little ridiculous. Do they really expect anyone to apply different lubes like this in the field?

 

[brmax]

In the past manuals of Juki, their lubrication and grease has been listed in several ways. Particulary I have noticed the manual would say: In assembly. In other manuals of operaters or their engineer tech manual they would have : In the event of disassembly and the “ reassembly “ use type ~

In my searching in the past these types have been brought up, but honestly I havent seen any great clarification on machine specifics covering all their machine line. Typically individual machinery.   

Although it is my experience with equipment you could relate the specific part number and its “qualified” alternative. This can possibly be easier to understand its placement usage in a machinery situation. 

I am a big promoter of a companies designed lube choice, as It was a costly expense for them to decide best for their machinerys durability.

 

Good day

Floyd