For the aerospace industry
Portable minimum quantity lubrication system with magnetic attachment and automatic control.
Ideal for automated drilling units (ADU) and aviation sandwich materials.
Details
Product description & technical details
The MLU system was developed specifically for the aerospace industry and can be connected to all common drill feed units (ADU). Thanks to the automatic control, the MMS process (minimum quantity lubrication) can be switched on or off depending on material requirements - perfect, for example, when passing through CFRP layers so that the drilling site remains dry.
- Dosage: 5–100 ml/h (precisely adjustable)
- Power supply: 12 V (battery operation optionally possible)
- Compressed air supply: 5-8 bar
- Flexible control: Lubrication cycles can be activated manually, electrically or pneumatically
- Especially for aircraft construction: Magnetic holder for mounting on ferromagnetic surfaces
- Scope of delivery: Incl. 5 m flexible hose for a large working radius
- Perfect lubrication for sandwich materials (e.g. titanium, CFRP, aluminum) with different layers
Thanks to the flexible control, the MLU automatically adapts to changing material requirements and thus enables optimal drilling and efficient lubrication - ideal for the demanding processes in modern aircraft construction.
Technology
Technical data and selection
The MLU — Mobile Lubrication Unit — is a special case in the MQL programme: it is not built for a machine tool but for semi-automatic drilling units in aircraft construction. The device is placed on the structure with a magnetic holder and follows the drilling unit to its work location.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Dosage | 5–100 ml/h |
| Compressed air | 5–8 bar |
| Power supply | 12 V (optional) |
| Hose length | 5 m, flexible |
| Mounting | magnetic holder |
| Triggering | manual, electric or pneumatic |
| Supply | internal through the spindle or external |
Source: DropsA manufacturer data, retrieved 31 July 2026 – MLU. The figures in the respective datasheet are binding.
The function that makes the difference
In aircraft construction, holes are drilled through sandwich materials — titanium, CFRP and aluminium stacked in a single drilling operation. Metal needs lubrication; carbon-fibre reinforced plastic must not get any: oil in the CFRP layer causes delamination and ruins later bonded joints.
The MLU therefore shuts the oil off within a single drilling operation as the tool passes through the CFRP layer, and switches it back on when it continues in metal. That is not a convenience function but the reason a dedicated device exists for this application.
Why mobile rather than fixed
An aircraft structure does not come to the machine. Drilling happens on the airframe, at changing positions, with hand-guided or clamped-on drilling units. The 5-metre hose defines the working radius around each mounting point, and the 12 V supply makes the unit independent of the shop network.
The dosing range of 5 to 100 ml/h is small compared with MaXtreme — it only has to serve one tool, not a machine with a tool changer. DropsA states the MLU as compatible with all commercially available drilling units.
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