EoW November 2008

lubricants (dry & wet)

Feature

EuroWire – November 2008 Fortunately, on past performance, wire makers may be confident that developments in lubrication engineering are proceeding in parallel with those in wire making. The products and services on review in this section of EuroWire provide ample evidence of this beneficial reciprocity. Photo courtesy of Lubrimetal 58 EuroWire – Nov mber 2008 Lubricants T he major challenge for lubrication in wire making has always been to facilitate the longest possible die life even as ever-higher drawing speeds are achieved. The use of tungsten carbide and diamond dies delivered phenomenal increases in productivity, but greatly compounded the friction and wear concerns that posed a challenge even in the era of chilled iron and steel dies. Every advance in wire making practice has been accompanied by improvements in drawing lubricants – or the advance would not have taken place. Future developments will depend on improving lubricants still further; on propounding the best film barriers for new-generation metals, on balancing the demands of extreme pressure and extreme temperature and on satisfying increasingly stringent environmental and disposal requirements. At the same time, these harder-working lubricants will themselves demand more care all the time. A patented apparatus for cleaning a lubricant for dry-type wire drawing is a marvel of driving motors, support plates and rotating and cleaning members. Someday, it will have to be an even greater marvel.