Lube First Quarter 2011 Synthetic Lubricant Newsletter from Nye Lubricants, Inc.

The Role of Additives in Specialty Grease

rease is most commonly regarded as a antioxidants are “radical scavengers” that lubricating oil containing a thickener to react quickly with the free radicals that form Gkeep the oil in place. But there is a third before they can cause degradation of the oil. critical component to a grease that often times is Secondary antioxidants react with peroxides overlooked: the additives. Webster’s Dictionary which are often present as the lubricating oil For the sixth year in a row, Nye will be exhibit- ing at Strategies in Light in Santa Clara, CA, definition of an additive is “…..a substance reacts with oxygen. Most often, grease formu- February 22-24. Bill Galary and Scott Munday added to another in relatively small amounts lators will use a combination of antioxidants will be introducing our latest innovation in to impart or improve desirable properties or to maximize the protection of the oil against optical products. Nye is now able to offer suppress undesirable properties”. At Nye, our oxidative degradation. formulation experts pay very close attention SmartGel® curing gels with a refractive index Graph 1: Mechanism of Lubricant Oxidation between 1.38 and 1.54. to making sure Nye greases are properly ad- divated to ensure proper performance. Addi- TransAmerica Lubricants, Nye’s Latin America tive technology can be a very tricky business distributor, will be exhibiting at Expo Manufac- involving several different chemistries. Often tura in Monterrey, Mexico. The show will take times, one additive can adversely interact with place from March 1-3, 2011. It focuses on the another additive as they both compete for the manufacturing industry in Mexico, showcasing same area on substrate surfaces, thereby can- machinery, equipment and raw materials. celling their desired properties. Conversely, the use of two different additive chemistries can Product Releases: have a positive synergistic effect on perfor- NyoGel® 677 - A silica thickened, light viscosity, syn- mance. Being able to understand these com- thetic hydrocarbon grease intended for lubrication and plex chemistries and interactions of various protection of electrical connectors. Benefits include additives is paramount to properly formulating good water resistance. a high performance grease. WEAR PREVENTIVE ADDITIVES NyeTorr® 6200 utilizes Pennzane Ultra as a base fluid In this article we will describe three of the most Wear is defined as “the progressive loss of and boasts a 47% improvement in Total Mass Loss common additives in greases; antioxidants, substance from the operating surface of a under Vacuum as well as a 53% improvement in Con- wear preventative additives, and friction modi- body occurring as a result of relative motion at densable Volatiles over the NyeTorr 5200. These im- fiers; and the functions they perform. the surface”. There are several different types provements make the NyeTorr 6200 ideal for vacuum of mechanical wear mechanisms that can oc- applications where low outgassing is required. ANTIOXIDANTS cur in a lubricating system, including adhesive NyeTorr® 6300 - Developed with proprietary process- Antioxidants are additives designed to pro- wear, abrasive wear, pitting, and spalling. Wear ing and materials, 6300 displays 74% reduction in Total long the life of an oil by increasing the oxida- preventative additives fall into two categories: Mass Loss under Vacuum as well as a 67% reduction tive resistance of the oil. Lubricating oils are Extreme Pressure agents and Antiwear agents. in Condensable Volatiles over the NyeTorr 5300. It is in- susceptible to degradation by oxygen. This Extreme Pressure and Antiwear additives both tended for high vacuum applications where extremely oxidation process, which is initiated by the for- function by depositing a protective barrier via low outgassing and broad range of temperatures are mation of reactive free radicals and peroxides, a reaction on the metal surface. Extreme pres- required. is the major cause of oil thickening and the for- sure additives are usually used under heavy Synthetic Oil 271A - A medium viscosity synthetic mation of sludge and varnish. There are two loads, at high temperatures and low speeds hydrocarbon oil intended for bearings, gears, and types of antioxidants: primary and secondary to prevent catastrophic failure or “seizing”. other mechanical systems. 271A is currently being antioxidants. Primary antioxidants are typically Antiwear additives are generally used under registered as NSF-H1 for food grade. comprised of aromatic amines and hindered milder conditions of low loads and high speeds phenolics. Secondary antioxidants are typically Instrument Grease AND-757MS - A replacement to reduce the rate of continuous and moderate comprised of phosphites and certain sulfur- of a discontinued Anderol product. A lithium soap wear. Common examples of extreme pressure containing compounds, such as thioethers and thickened, heavy viscosity, diester grease formulated additives are molybdenum disulfide, graphite, thioesters. Each type of antioxidant performs a to adhere to, and prevent the wear of, moving parts. It and dialkyldithiocarbamate complexes. different function to inhibit oxidation. Primary is recognized as an excellent lubricant and sealant for [Continued] _ electrical switch boxes. Nye Lubricants - _[Continued] Nye: the official manufacturer of six Anderol® lubricants Common examples of antiwear additives are With the target to broaden and expand its product lines, Nye Lubricants is now the official triarylphosphates and zinc dialkyldithiophos- manufacturer of 6 of the Anderol® lubricants which have had their place in the industrial phate. maintenance and electrical power management equipment industries for many years. We are FRICTION MODIFIERS now offering the Anderol 732, Anderol 752 Grade 1, Anderol 752 Grade 2, Anderol 757, Anderol Friction modifiers reduce friction, thereby- in 786, and Anderol 793 products. Nye is manufacturing these products according to the original creasing the life of equipment and reducing the process and control specifications as provided by Anderol so that you can be assured you are energy to power it by forming a highly lubricat- getting the same quality product you have always used. With these products added to Nye’s ing surface film on the metal. These compounds extensive line of lubricants for industrial maintenance and electrical power management ap- typically contain a polar end, which is physical- plications, we now offer an expanded and complete line of solutions for any lubricant need. ly adsorbed to the metal and sometimes reacts With this complete line of lubricant solutions, Nye can help customers meet the demanding with it, and a non-polar hydrocarbon end that requirements of these hostile environments where conventional lubricants will fail and require extends into the lubricant. Examples of com- costly downtime. Our series of lubricants offer a variety of synthetic base oils, gellants, and mon friction modifiers are organic molybdenum additives. Our products will not only reduce friction, but resist high temperatures without oxi- complexes and derivatives of long chain fatty dation, evaporation, or polymerization that can cause high contact resistance and eventual fail- acids. ure of the switchgear. Nye’s lubricants also inhibit wear and corrosion, provide environmental sealing, and control free motion. Our lubricants will provide an added measure of assurance Graph 2: Typical Friction Modifier Molecule for today’s electrical power management equipment to ensure years of trouble free operation.

Instrument AND-732 AND-752-1 AND-757 AND-786 AND-793 Greases

Base Oil Diester PAO Diester Diester Diester Lithium Thickener Lithium Soap Lithium Soap Clay Lithium Soap Complex Temperature -40 to 150°C -60 to 150°C -40 to 150°C -20 to 150°C -60 to 150°C Range NLGI Grade 0 1 1.5 1.5 2 Evaporation 0.75% 0.20% 1.10% 1.60% 0.60% Oil Separation 15% 3.70% 1.40% 0.60% 4.80% Additive components do not stop with the Corrosion and three described here. Greases can also con- Friction and Anti-wear, excel- Anti-wear, rust inhibited, wear reduction, High temperature tain additives for preventing rust and chemical lent pressure adhesion to metal excellent load Performance excellent rust stability corrosion, viscosity modifiers to reduce the protection parts carrying at high protection change in viscosity over a broad temperature speed range (viscosity index), pour point depressants Gears, bearings, to improve a lubricant’s lower temperature use Chains, gears, General purpose, slides, pulleys, Application Gears, slides & Fine precision slides, bearings, electrical con- and general limit and dyes. Formulating a high performance Notes bearings instruments grease is a complex task involving a deep un- spray lubricant tacts & switches maintenance lubrication derstanding of additive chemistry and chemi- cal additive interactions. Nye formulation sci- entists will work with you to ensure that the Above is a list of the new Anderol® greases offered by Nye. For further information, technical proper combination of additives is present in specifications, evaluation samples, questions about any Nye product, or to discuss a lubricant your grease to provide you with the maximum custom designed for your application - call us at +1.508.996.6721 or visit our website at possible performance. www.nyelubricants.com.

How does Nye measure outgassing of its lubricants?

Nye will be receiving an E-595 test rig around mid-March of 2011. The E-595 test method mea- sures the volatile content of materials when exposed to a vacuum environment. Two parameters 12 Howland Road are measured; total mass loss (TML) and collected volatile condensable materials (CVCM). This Fairhaven, MA 02719 USA testing is done on every batch of our semicon products. By having this capability internally, this Ph: +1.508.996.6721 Email: [email protected] will allow us to reduce the turnaround time on test results. The unit will also be used to evaluate new raw materials and experimentals for developing low outgassing products that are important to our aerospace and in-vacuum manufacturing customers.

©2011 Nye Lubricants, Inc. Nye, NyoGel, SmartGel & NyeTorr are registered trademarks of Nye Lubricants, Inc. Anderol is a registered trademark of Chemtura Corporation. Pennzane is a registered trademark of Shell Global Solutions.