Benefits of Extreme Performance Sprayable Liquid Coating based Lubrication part 1

[Twisted Steel Performance]

While many applications work perfectly fine with standard liquid lubricants such as oils and greases, once the pressure or speed exceeds a certain point they begin to fail. In addition, the environment can heavily impact lubrication. Coatings fill an important void in these areas. Unlike fluids they will not break down at elevated temperatures. The environment is not as critical as many can work at full function regardless of the chemicals they are exposed to. Coatings are also basically “permanent” lubricants and normally do not need replenishment. By being in a “dry” state after application and curing they are also less likely to pick up debris, as liquid lubricants can. In certain applications, a Sprayable Liquid Coating can also extend the function of the liquid lubricants used in conjunction with them. These coatings are fluid retaining Coatings and can hold the liquid lubricant in place at elevated pressures. They are also easy to apply using standard wet spray equipment and in some cases, can be brushed on

The variety of applications is quite large and includes;

1. Any sliding, rotating or oscillating part.
   
   
2. Surfaces exposed to extreme loads or torque and minimal but rapid expansion and contraction of the part(s) such as bolts or any threaded items.
   
   
3. Components exposed to harsh chemicals.
   
   
4. Applications such as Space Craft where no liquid lubricant can be used as they “boil” off.
   
   
5. Parts that need to be evenly torqued without galling or experiencing stiction.
   
   
6. Good Release Characteristics during a maintenance cycle.
   
   
7. Protection against Dissimilar Metal contact and the resulting reactions.
   
   
8. Reduction in the Heat created by the physical movement of the component as well as more rapid transfer of heat generated by the part movement, including internal molecular friction, that builds in the part.
   
   
9. Corrosion protection so the substrate does not deteriorate or the components become “stuck” together.
   
   
10. Dielectric protection/resistance.
    
    
11. Buildup of component dimension to reduce the rocking motion generated by too wide of a clearance, and in some cases providing a burnishable nature that allows the coating to fully be functional with a buildup under 25 millionths of an inch and therefore not impacting clearance.
    
    
12. Friction reduction with Metal against a Fiber or other nonmetallic component.
    
    
13. Fluid retaining ability to extend the functional life of a liquid oil or grease.
    
    
14. The ability to create boundary layer lubrication reducing the drag created by the flow of a liquid such as water over a boat hull, cavitation from a propeller or aiding in maintaining the mixture in a high-speed flow of air and fuel.
    
    
15. Shedding of particles against a unit that is rotating rapidly against such particles while either breaking up or directing the particles.
    
    
16. Lubrication on components where a liquid cannot be used as it could pick up dirt and debris.
    
    
17. Release characteristics in applications such as injection molding.
    
    
18. Reduction in drag and wear on rollers where a material is running over them.
    
    
19. Maintaining and extending the life of cutting implements like drill bits.
    

This is just a small list of the potential uses for Coatings.

Tech Line produces many varieties of Lubricants utilizing several different resin solutions. This allows Tech line to custom blend to fit application needs. Cure temperatures can be from 94C/200F to 400C/750F depending on the system needed. The Coatings are formulated to address multiple needs not simply one.

In some instances, a lubricant needs to be extremely thin and conform to the clearances needed. In others, they need to be applied to fit a needed tolerance improvement. Tech Line produces both Conformal and non-Conformal, lubricating coatings. In other cases, heat transfer may need to be blocked from transferring through a part and in others the heat may need to be accelerated through the coating reducing the temperature of the part. Both requirements can be met with certain Tech Line formulations. Particularly in oil field applications, as well as Chemical pumps, various aggressive chemicals, both acidic and alkaline are present and a coating must resist these materials while functioning as a lubricant. Again, Tech Line has several Coating systems that can handle these types of issues.

Below we will consider some applications showing the functionality and desirability of such Coatings. These typically come from real world applications as well as data from testing.



Erlemann’s GearBox Engineering.

Over 150 VW gearboxes were coated and as of 1 year later they have had no failure or wear, which was not common in these cases. Coating applied by Sartor Bros in South Africa

Mark Andy Company: Lubricant for ground printer gears for label printers

Gears are rough ground. JCM in House Springs MO, has been improving the surface through normal prep for the coating and then is filling the gear imperfections for better lubricity. Worm Drive and Gear to Gear units. The life of the gear has increased 4 X improvement in gear life in poor maintenance environments and gear box temp has dropped 40% degrees.

Capps Brite Hot Coatings in Fresno Calif. passed on the following information.

Application: Sprint Car Rearend
Coated: Ring and Pinion Inside and out of Housing
Inside of axle "bells"
Goal: Reduce friction as indicated by operating temperature.
Test Method: Car raced at World Of Outlaws event. Measure temperatures of uncoated and coated rearends.

Results:
Uncoated operating temperatures 240f to 259f
Coated: 166f