A Midwestern
manufacturer solved the problem of lingering residue from a
petroleum-based protective coating after heat treating by switching to a
synthetic coating. The synthetic was environmentally friendly,
left no residue, and protected parts.
Santovac Fluids LLC, St. Charles, Mo.
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A Midwestern manufacturer of
large wheel assemblies had a problem protecting its steel assemblies
from rust and corrosion both before and after heat treating. The
assemblies, weighing several hundred pounds, had to protected from rust
and corrosion during in-plant handling between the forging process and
heat treating, and also during shipment to the customer.
There was also a second problem, involving what happened to
the protective lubricant during the heat treating process itself.
The petroleum-based penetrating lubricant in use by the manufacturer
left a black residue on the assemblies. Removing this residue was
an extra process step that was adding cost. It was this problem
that actually prompted the search for a replacement lubricant. The
successful replacement turned out to be a new synthetic penetrating
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lubricant designed to have long life
once applied to a metal surface.
A new recipe
Lubricants generally consist of a base stock plus carefully selected
additivies that impart specific performance properties. A
petroleum lubricant can't get away from some of the characteristics of
its base stock __ including the tendency to leave a black residue when
heated beyond its point of thermal stability. A purely synthetic
base stock, however, has no such constraints and can be designed to
behave differently.
Eventually, the manufacturer ran
some tests with a synthetic lubricant, called TKO2, from Santovac
Fluids, St. Charles, Mo. Initial tests with the synthetic showed
that a thin film gave complete protection from rust and corrosion during
in-plant handling.
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