Product Form

Industrial lubricants include low viscosity oils, high viscosity oils, greases, and solid lubricants.

Low viscosity oils offer the least resistance to movement. The reduced shear stress minimizes friction. Load bearing capabilities and fluid film thickness are also reduced. Low viscosity oils may contain additives to prevent lubrication failure during periods of high load or at low speeds.

High viscosity oils exhibit higher shear stresses and thicker fluid films. The thicker fluid film is able to support greater loads and function at lower speeds, although their resistance to flow increases the amount of friction between the mating surfaces.

Greases are semi-solids formed by the dispersion of a thickening agent in a base fluid. The thickening agent serves as a matrix that holds the lubricant in place, while supplying some amount of ingress protection. The oil or base fluid is the active lubricating agent.

Solid, or dry film lubricants, disperse a coating that excludes moisture and reduces friction. Solid lubricants may also contain corrosion inhibitors and are generally used in high temperature applications where liquid lubricants break down.

There are three basic product forms of MWFs: fluids, greases, and solid lubricants or dry film lubricants.

· Fluids are water-based liquids, oils, or fluids supplied in liquid form.

· Greases, gels, and lubricating pastes are thick, high viscosity products that do not run or flow off surfaces. Greases often consist of oil thickened with a sodium or calcium soap complex or non-soap thickener.

· Solid lubricants or dry film lubricants are compounds such as hexagonal flake graphite, boron nitride (BN), molybdenum disulfide, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powders.