Maintenance Guide
Oil Bellows And Machine Lubrication Parts
An oil bellows costs very little and protects a drive that costs a great deal. It is also a consumable, which means it will fail, and the only question is whether you have a spare when it does.
What The Bellows Does
An oil bellows, also called an oil seal, is a concertina boot around a moving shaft or rod. It keeps lubricating oil inside the drive and keeps lint, fibre and dust outside it, while allowing the member to move.
When one splits, two things happen at once: oil leaves, and lint enters. In a warp knitting mill the air is full of fibre, so the second is usually more damaging than the first.
Counting The Layers
Bellows on this catalogue are listed as one layer, three layer and five layer types. The layer count is the number of concertina folds, and it is the first thing to establish from the old part — count the folds on the side.
Beyond the layer count there are shapes: bottle and hat forms, and straight and slanting variants. Photograph the old bellows in profile.
The Parts Around The Bellows
The bellows sits on a base, listed here in aluminium, high, low, slanting and high-slanting forms. It is held by a locking ring. Oil stoppers work with the bellows, and oil shields, oil cups and oil window covers complete the lubrication group.
Replace the base only if it is cracked or the wrong height. A sound base and a new bellows is the normal repair.
How Many To Stock
Bellows do not fail evenly across a machine. A few positions fail far more often than the rest, because of heat, movement or exposure to fibre. Record which positions those are on your machines and stock for them, rather than holding a full machine set of every type.
More Guides
Parts Discussed In This Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know how many layers I need?
Count the concertina folds on the old bellows. One, three and five layer types are all listed.
Do I need to change the base as well?
Only if it is cracked or the wrong height. Bases are listed separately.
Why does a split bellows matter so much in a knitting mill?
Because the air is full of fibre. Once the boot is open, lint enters the drive and the wear that follows is on much more expensive parts.
Need One Of These Parts
Send the machine brand, machine type, gauge and a photograph of the worn part.