Choosing an SMT grease gun: cartridge, nozzle and kit

Start with the machine requirement, then choose the tool

A grease-gun enquiry often begins with a photograph of a familiar metal tool. That leaves four different decisions unresolved: which lubricant the machine requires, which package is being purchased, how the dispensing tool connects, and how its nozzle reaches the actual lubrication point.

Decide them in that order. A tool illustration cannot approve a lubricant, and a grease package name cannot identify the correct port or access arrangement. The procurement goal is a defined tool-and-supply scope that the maintenance team can check against its applicable documents.

MG70 and a 400 g grease reference describe different supply requirements

THK’s retained European description specifies MG70 for 70 g and 80 g bellows cartridges and refers 400 g requirements separately. The retained supplier N510006423AA MP Grease 2S record is supplier-listed as 400 g. This comparison does not establish a fit between them.

Keep that difference visible in the RFQ. Do not reduce both descriptions to “bellows grease” and assume a common interface. Request the cartridge construction and applicable tool information for the intended combination. Nominal weight is one identification field; it is not a connection drawing.

Check four independent fields before comparing quotations

1. Application: machine identity, lubrication point and approved lubricant requirement from the responsible team.
2. Package: complete formulation and purchasing reference, quantity, cartridge construction and available label evidence.
3. Connection and access: applicable tool/cartridge interface, actual port or nipple and the working space the nozzle must reach.
4. Delivery: gun-only, complete kit or a replacement attachment, with every included item named.

When a field is missing, ask for that evidence specifically. A request for a clearer picture may help recover a label, but it cannot replace the application or interface documentation.

A complete kit and a gun-only offer are different comparisons

The MG70 reference page retains the manufacturer attachment description. Use it to ask the seller exactly which items its offer contains. An illustration of several attachments does not establish that every quotation includes the same set.

Normalise the requested delivery before comparing commercial terms: tool designation, included attachments, any separately required cartridge and the documents supplied. If a seller proposes another tool, keep it as an explicitly identified alternative and have its connection and access basis checked. A lower price for a smaller scope is not yet a like-for-like comparison.

Keep the lubricant name visible after the tool is chosen

A suitable dispensing arrangement does not resolve an unknown lubricant identity. The NSK NSL reference separates the manufacturer formulation from an unverified machine purchasing cross-reference. Keep the actual formulation and the machine requirement in the maintenance record even when cartridges look alike.

If several greases are used in the workshop, establish how the responsible team will keep tools and contents identifiable. Do not infer contents from an unlabelled gun or choose a lubricant from cartridge colour. This is an identification control; it does not prescribe a cleaning or changeover process.

Define a reviewable acceptance boundary

Before purchase, ask the responsible maintenance team to confirm that the proposed tool, cartridge and nozzle arrangement matches the documented requirement. Request the seller’s exact delivery description and offered-item evidence independently from the manufacturer reference image.

Before use, follow the applicable tool and machine instructions. This article specifies no dispensing pressure, number of strokes, lubricant amount, loading method or service interval. Those values cannot be recovered from a product photograph. A useful purchasing closeout records the approved combination, included items and remaining questions so a later reorder does not repeat the same uncertainty.