March 2014
55
News
Technology
Chemical solution products exploit this property to deliver
lubricity. In the normal “bulk” fluid in the tank of the drawing
machine the additives are fully soluble in water.
However at a microscopic level friction between the wire
and the surface of the cone or drawing die increases the
temperature rapidly above the so called “cloud point” and the
inversely soluble additives separate from the water forming
an oily film between the metal surface, thus reducing friction.
Once the contact between the wire and cone or die stops
the temperature reduces allowing (in theory) the additives to
re-solubilise.
Unfortunately the re-solubilisation is not complete and
some of the lubricity additive can remain on the wire surface
causing it to deplete faster than the other components in
the fluid. This is the cause of the phenomenon of decline in
performance of super fine wire solutions over time.
Despite apparently maintaining the concentration at
recommended levels it is often the case that lubrication
performance deteriorates over time resulting in more
frequent re-filling of machine tanks.
Rather than accept this situation Metalube has developed a
new formulation based on the very latest additive technology
– technology that does not rely on inverse solubility to deliver
lubricity in synthetic chemical solutions.
In achieving this, the issue of preferential additive depletion
is removed without compromising overall lubrication. In fact
in terms of “load carrying” ability, the new additives deliver
improved lubrication. Above is a graph illustrating the relative
lubrication performance of a conventional chemical solution
compared to Lubricool 260.
As with any fluid Lubricool 260 requires regular top-up of the
fluid to maintain the correct operating dilution. However, the
elimination of the preferential depletion of lubricity additives
results in a fluid that is easier to control and manage.
Metalube Ltd – UK
Website
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Samples at 70°C
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Illustration of the cloud point phenomenon of conventional chemical solution
products compared to Lubricool 260
