- +1 954 484 9700 Talk to an expert
- 4180 NW 10 Avenue Ft. Lauderdale, FL-US
CASE STUDY
A major automotive parts manufacturer was overdosing its forging die lubricant by 83% — delivering 2.2 grams per shot against a 1.2-gram specification — because its pneumatic pump system couldn’t dose repeatably inside a 3.5-second forging cycle. Spraymation engineered a dual-channel precision dispensing system that dropped into the plant’s existing PLC, manifold, and nozzle infrastructure. The result: on-spec dosing, $46,500 in annual lubricant waste eliminated, water use cut in half, and full payback in under three months.
Results at a glance
Annual lubricant cost eliminated
Payback period
Reduction in water usage
Overdose eliminated
Project Overview
Industry
Automotive Parts Manufacturing
Application
Die Lubrication — High-Pressure Forging
Product
Steel Engine Valves
Coating
Oil-Based Graphite Die Lubricant
The manufacturer operates a high-pressure forging process (500 PSI) using oil-based graphite die lubricant to form steel billets into unfinished engine valves. The process requires two different lubricant weights applied at two separate intervals — inside a tight 3.5-second cycle. Precision is non-negotiable: too much lubricant drives up material costs, while too little locks the forging die and causes costly downtime.
The existing PLC-controlled system — two pneumatic diaphragm pumps feeding pressurized lubricant through OEM manifolds — created compounding problems:
[01]
Any timing adjustment required an engineer, leaving the line idle while changes were made.
[02]
The pneumatic diaphragm pumps could not deliver consistent shot weights at cycle speed.
[03]
The system was delivering 2.2 grams per shot against a 1.2-gram specification — an 83% overdose on every cycle.
[04]
Excess consumption drove up both lubricant purchasing and drum recycling expenses.
Spraymation engineered a dual-channel precision dispensing system to replace the unreliable pump setup — integrating seamlessly with the customer’s existing PLC, manifold, and nozzle infrastructure.
Dual Channel 2008 Controller. Receives the existing PLC trigger input. Channel A is programmed to deliver 0.8 g (time-based), with Channel B delivering 0.4 g on a slight delay — coordinated to Step 2 of the forging die cycle.
24 VDC air solenoids. Controller outputs drive a pair of air solenoids controlling two 22AUH spray nozzles — fast, repeatable actuation within the 3.5-second cycle.
Drop-in integration. The solution reused the customer’s existing manifold and nozzle infrastructure, minimizing installation complexity and line downtime.
Before installation, 20 dose samples were collected from the existing pumps to establish a quantified baseline — testing that confirmed the 83% overdose. The Spraymation system was then validated against the same sampling protocol, confirming accurate, repeatable dosing at the engineered weights before commissioning. Baseline first, proof second: the same measurement discipline Spraymation applies to every system it ships.
The Results
| Metric | Before | After | Annual Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual lubricant cost | 31 drums/yr @ $1,500 | Precise, on-spec dosing | $46,500/yr saved |
| Drum recycling cost | 31 drums @ $10 | Reduced drum count | $310/yr saved |
| Water for die cleanup | 50 gal/day | 25 gal/day | 50% reduction |
| Dose accuracy | 2.2 g (83% over spec) | 1.2 g (on spec) | Repeatable and accurate |
| System adjustments | Engineer required | Operator adjustable | Downtime eliminated |
The financial picture: At 17 grams per minute, 20 hours a day, 6 days a week, 50 weeks a year, the legacy system consumed roughly 13,600 lbs of lubricant annually — 31 fifty-five-gallon drums at $1,500 each. On-spec dosing eliminated that waste entirely. Add $310 per year in drum recycling and an estimated $780 per year in water and sewer savings from halved die-cleanup water use, and the total payback period came in under three months.
The environmental picture: The 50% water reduction also meaningfully cut hazardous waste generation — fewer recycled drums and less oil-contaminated wastewater entering the plant’s waste stream.
Get Started
If your dispensing process is overdosing to stay safe — or your dosing system needs an engineer every time it needs an adjustment — Spraymation can quantify your baseline, engineer the fix, and validate it against your own spec before it ships.
Case Study CS-2026-TC-001 | © Spraymation Holdings Inc. 2026 | ISO 9001:2015 Certified