Our manufacturing process begins with formulation. Lubricant formulations are essentially a base fluid, selected for the application, and additives used to impart the particular properties required.
Base fluids may include mineral oils, synthetic oils (including polyalpha-olefins, polyalkylene glycols, synthetic esters, silicones, phosphate esters, alkylated naphthalenes, etc.) and naturally derived oils such as vegetable oils and naturally derived esters. The base oil is selected on the basis of the particular properties required in the finished lubricant. We use only virgin base oils to produce our products.
Often, the first property to be considered is the viscosity of the lubricant or it’s resistance to flow. Base oils with viscosities at ambient temperature ranging from as low as that of water to oils which need to be heated just to pour from a container are used. Base oils of different viscosities are commonly blended to produce a fluid of a specific viscosity at a given temperature. When blending for viscosity, other properties of the finished lubricant such as volatility must also be considered.
A simple base oil will provide adequate lubrication in some applications, however, for most applications the properties of the oil will need to be improved or altered with the use of additives. Additives are chemical additions used in quantities from as low as parts per million in the finished lubricant up to levels where one might consider the additive to be a base fluid. Additives used include anti-foam, anti-mist, anti-oxidant, anti-wear, corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers, detergents, dispersants, emulsifiers, extreme pressure, lubricity modifiers, metal passivator, pour point depressant, tackiness agent, viscosity modifier, viscosity index improver and many others. The interactions of base fluids with additives and between additives can be complex and even minor additions can have a significant impact on the performance of a fluid.
The blending process itself is relatively simple for most lubricants. A measured quantity of the base fluid is pumped into a vessel and heated. Additives are then added in pre-determined quantities depending on the formulation. Most blends are heated as this improves the solubility of the additives and gives a more stable finished product. The fluid in the vessel is mechanically stirred to give a homogeneous mixture. For some lubricants, such as those containing a suspended solid, high shear mixing is required along with low shear blending. We operate a batch process and every batch is identified with a batch number and each batch is tested and passed by our laboratory before being filled into the required packaging.
