Diary Inserts single pages template

Your Guide
To Lubrication

Lubrication is our World

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2
3
Introduction - Kluber Lubrication GB Ltd 4
5
Introduction - The Freudenberg Group 6
7
Why Lubricate? 8
9
Types of Lubricants 10
11
Effects on Lubricants? 12/13
14/15
Synthetic Based Lubricants 16/17
18/19
Mineral Based Lubricants 20/21
22
Miscibility of Lubricant Base Oils and Thickeners 23
24
Additives - Purposes and Types 25
26
Lubricant Properties - Oils 27
28
Greases 29
30
Pastes 31
32
Waxes 33
34
Dry Lubes 35
36
NSF Food Grade Lubricants 37/38
39
Rolling Bearing Lubrication 40/41

Chain Lubrication

Worm Gear Lubrication

Spur & Bevel Gear Lubrication

Small gear Lubrication

Large Open gear Lubrication

Compressor Lubrication

Services

Energy Savings

Appendix - Lubricant Types

Base Oil Miscibility

ISO Viscosity Grades

Grease Miscibility

NLGI Grades

Glossary of Terms

Contact Us

Renew Your Diary Pack

Kluber Lubrication GB Ltd

Kluber Lubrication remain internationally renowned spe-
cialists in the field of cost-down lubricant manufacture,
supply and lubrication management. Our exemplary
knowledge of applications and cutting-edge R & D has
benefited industry for over 75 years with Kluber lubricants
integral as high quality structural elements. Pressure on
manufacturing to improve output at lower cost and higher
quality is nothing new.

The importance of reliability, gained from a Kluber regime
that won’t let you down and is geared to ensure produc-
tion is achieved or exceeded. Kluber addresses the
gains that can be achieved with reliability-centred lubrica-
tion maintenance; with the right installation, kept clean,
maintained and lubricated, assets can continue to run
smoothly and efficiently so long as correct maintenance
schedule is adhered to.

With a portfolio encompassing thousands of formulations
Kluber feature in virtually all industrial applications for
greases, oils, pastes and dry lubrication techniques. It is
by stringent performance testing both chemically and
mechanically that Kluber lubricants are specified by so
many leading OEM’s the world over meeting specifica-
tions set down by the NSF, DVGW, WRAS organisations
to name but a few.

At Kluber we believe that lubrication is an investment, not
a cost. It goes far beyond simply improving equipment
performance – it improves business performance, and
the evidence is compelling. Although product quality and
pre-tested performance are key, our additional services
include used lubricant analysis, custom test rigs, training,
lubrication audits and energy saving studies - all invalua-
ble to our customers' long-term lubrication strategies.

3

Freudenberg Group

Kluber Lubrication are a member of the Freudenberg
Group of companies renowned worldwide for their exper-
tise in engineering solutions. Freudenberg is a family
company offering its customers technically challenging
product solutions and services.
Other companies within the Freudenberg Group which
may be of interest include:

We are committed to anticipating, understanding and
meeting our customers' needs and expectations.
As a diligent supplier with a passion for detail we provide
indispensable support to make our customers success-
ful. We deliver superior value through our global pres-
ence and our dedication to service and reliability.
After more than 150 years the Freudenberg Group con-
tinues to be a wholly owned family enterprise.

Freudenberg has a long and successful tradition of
worldwide co-operation, alliances and partnerships which
enable us to better serve our customers and strengthen
our competitive position.

4

Why Lubricate?

There can be few areas of your industry which do not
benefit from the use of lubrication in some form or anoth-
er. Correctly specified, lubrication does far more than
reduce friction and provide protection that lengthens the
life of what are likely to be your major assets and invest-
ments. It lowers the risk of unplanned maintenance and
breakdown impacting on resources, production and
profits.

The more sophisticated lubrication schedules will reduce
energy consumption and facilitate higher productivity
from people and processes. Now that businesses are
contending with ever-tightening and increasingly costly
legislation anything that will help mitigate this should be
of particular interest.

Discerning customers gain a much greater return on
investment through premium quality products supported
by a global qualified, experienced and understanding
team.
Whether for an individual lubrication challenge or for
series production Kluber products are there to help you
from a current portfolio of over 2,000 “standard” products
not withstanding the “specials”.

From oils and greases to pastes and dry film coatings for
engineered parts or elastomers Kluber can have the
answer.

A diverse world of applications
For almost everything from precision lasers to giant gear
drives, oil rigs to special lubricants for confectionery
production or from roller coaster rides to virtually every
passenger car on the road Kluber has formulated, manu-
factured, tested and supplied high quality, high perfor-
mance lubricants.

5

Types of Lubricants

In order to maintain a reduction in wear and heat be-
tween two surfaces, a form of lubricant is required. Any
material which can reduce the coefficient of friction be-
tween two surfaces can be classed as a lubricant, how-
ever in order to maintain these reductions certain materi-
als work more efficiently than others. Lubricants should
not only reduce friction, wear and heat, but also:-

• Protect surfaces
• Conduct electricity
• Protect from ingress foreign particles
• Remove wear particles

Kluber lubrication have spent over 80 years perfecting
such lubricants which include Fluid lubricants, Cohesive
lubricants and Solid lubricants.

Fluid lubricants include oils (mineral & synthetic), the
latter offering higher oxidation stability, increased re-
sistance to high & low temperatures, long-term & lifetime
lubrication.

Cohesive lubricants include greases, pastes, and wax-
es. The use of which include the protection of surfaces,
conduction of electricity where required, reduction of
ingress of foreign particles.

Solid lubricants include synthetic, metallic or mineral
powders, such as PTFE, copper, graphite and MoS2.
Their main task is to protect the surfaces to which they
are applied.

6

Effects on Lubricants

Adverse Effects on Lubricants
All lubricants, no matter what type are put in place at the
point of friction in order to perform a specific job for each
individual application. However in order for a lubricant to
perform as it has been designed to perform there are
certain criteria which must be met. Lubricants can be split
into the following basic categories:

• High Temp. Resistant / Low Temp. Resistant
• High Speed / Low Speed
• High Load / Low Load
• Miscibility of Lubricants

High-temperature effects. High temperatures harm
greases more than they harm oils. Grease, by its nature,
cannot dissipate heat by convection like a circulating oil.
Consequently, without the ability to transfer away heat,
excessive temperatures result in accelerated oxidation or
even carbonization where grease hardens or forms a
crust.
Low-temperature effects. If the temperature of a grease
is lowered enough, it will become too viscous. Pumpabil-
ity suffers and machinery operation may become impos-
sible due to torque limitations and power requirements.
High rotational speed effects. High speed applications
require specific greases which are capable of leaving an
oil film in place even when forced out due to the high
centrifugal forces. Such high speeds also increase the
working temperature of the application necessitating the
requirement of a high temperature base oil. Low speed
lubricants should not be used in high speed applications
as these will not supply sufficient protection at the point
of friction.
High load effects. Extreme pressure at the friction point
can only be protected by use of EP (Extreme Pressure)
additives. Without such additives the lubricant will be
subject to failure due to the friction type involved.
Miscibility of lubricants. Due to the complex nature of
the chemical composition of modern lubricants it is never
advisable to mix lubes without prior advice.

7

Synthetic Based Lubricants

Synthetic lubricants are generally derived from petrole-
um, however, unlike the mineral base lubricants which
are a complex mixture of naturally occurring hydrocar-
bons, synthetics are man-made and tailored to have a
controlled molecular structure with predictable proper-
ties. The base fluids are made by chemically combining
low molecular weight compounds that have adequate
viscosity to use as lubricants.

Benefits of using Synthetic Lubricants

• High temperature thermal stability (in
(low
excess of 260OC)

• Low temperature fluidity
• High Viscosity index

change of viscosity with temperature)

• High Flash point
• Superior lubricity
• Reduced lubricant consumption
• Extended service life
• Energy savings

Synthetic lubricants are being utilised in almost every
industry to reduce maintenance and energy consump-
tion. Energy and cost savings are achievable by means
of reduced maintenance, power consumption, lubricant
consumption and downtime.

In addition to the direct benefits of using synthetic lubri-
cants, an additional indirect benefit is that of disposal of
the waste lubricant. The advantage , of course comes
from the fact that due to smaller volumes of synthetics
being required in comparison to the mineral equivalents
the overall cost of inventory and waste disposal is also
reduced significantly, all in all far outweighing the initial
outlay.

8

Mineral Based Lubricants

Mineral oils are extracted from crude oil as part of the
refining process. Many products such as engine oils,
gear oils, hydraulic oils etc. use these mineral oils along
with specially designed performance enhancing additives
as part of their formulation. However, due to limitations in
the refining extraction process some impurities remain in
the mineral oils which can negatively impact on their
performance.

These residual undesirable materials mean additive
packs can’t operate to full effect because the additive
has to compete for space with the impurities when they
attempt to bond with the base-oil molecules. Conse-
quently the molecular structure of the oil is inconsistent,
limiting the performance capabilities and useful service
life of the resulting blended oil.

Hence under certain operating conditions there are cer-
tain disadvantages of mineral oils such as:

• poor low-temperature characteristics
• usable up to max. 120 °C
• poor Viscosity -Temperature behaviour
• poor biodegradability
• short life cycle - require frequent oil changes
• increased waste oil removal

However, there are advantages; under operating condi-
tions ideally suited to mineral oils such as:

• good lubricity
• almost neutral towards sealing materials, paints and

materials in general (NBR, EPDM)

• low cost
• available in all viscosities

9

Miscibility

Modern lubricants are now manufactured from highly
complex chemical compositions to meet almost every
conceivable application under all conditions. Due to this
modern technology it is not advisable to mix different
lubricants without prior advice from us. By mixing lubri-
cants the chemical composition will change and as such
the lubricant specified for the application will no longer
be protecting the friction point. The result of which will
undoubtedly be failure of the component.

If it is not practical to strip and clean the application we
would recommend for greases that the friction point be
purged with fresh lubricant, during use, until fresh lubri-
cant is seen to leak out, (eg. Bearings). For oil lubricated
applications we would recommend the old oil be drained,
a lower viscosity be applied of the new oil to partial fill
and used as a flushing oil prior to re-draining and refilling
with the new recommended fresh oil.

Not only are certain lubricant types incompatible, the
same applies to the elastomers / plastics (e.g. seals)
within the application. Certain products when they come
into contact with specific oils and greases can become
brittle and crack, can swell or shrink.

Incompatibility of lubricants may cause:

• A change in grease consistency
• Loss of oil
• Clumping of thickener
• Reaction of additives
• Swelling / shrinking of seals
• Embrittlement of plastic sight glass
• Corrosion

Resulting in :

• Component failure
• Leakage
• Downtime

See appendix for miscibility charts

10