GLEITMO SIL – SPECIALTY SILICONE LUBRICANTS
With over 90 years of experience in developing specialty lubrication solutions, FUCHS is uniquely positioned as a leading supplier of silicone lubricants. GLEITMO SIL brings together the best of our silicone fluids, greases, and compounds from the POLYSI, CHEMPLEX, and NYE brands to create one comprehensive, best-in-class silicone product line for our customers. Silicone products under the brands PST, CHEMPLEX, SSP, RHEOSIL, NYOGEL, and FLUOROCARBON GEL have been incorporated into the GLEITMO SIL line of products.
Our GLEITMO SIL lubricants have excellent material compatibility, operate within a wide temperature range, and possess low toxicity, making them appealing for many specialty applications. FUCHS offers a variety of formulations tailored towards specific applications within different segments including automotive, industrial, medical, and plumbing valves. With a worldwide R&D network, we can tailor our formulations to meet your application requirements.
Most silicone lubricants have excellent thermal stability and perform exceptionally well at temperature ranges from -40 to 200 °C. Additionally silicones have a high viscosity index, meaning that temperature has a minimal effect on the viscosity of the product.
Silicones possess excellent compatibility with rubbers and plastics. Silicones are widely applied to O-ring designs because they will not swell or soften the ring. While silicones can be used on plastic-to-metal applications, they do not possess adequate film strength to prevent wear for metal-on-metal applications. Silicone grease can be used as an assembly aid and provide additional sealing capabilities. Silicone lubricants are not compatible with silicone substrates.
One advantage of silicones is their low surface tension, allowing them to easily migrate and wet the component's surface. It is important to note that a silicone base-oil that is properly formulated into a grease is less likely to migrate as a silicone oil alone will, if at all. Because of their high viscosity index and low surface energy, silicone greases do not create a robust hydrodynamic film to separate components and prevent wear. As a result, silicone greases are recommended only for light to moderately loaded applications.
Silicones offer low absorption, are resistant to degradation, and are less likely to react with other chemicals and form byproducts. For these reasons they are widely used in food-grade applications and medical applications. Silicones from our NYEMED product line are recommended for customers requiring a biocompatible silicone lubricant. In addition to our GLEITMO SIL lubricants with NSF (National Science Foundation) approvals, we also have our CASSIDA food-grade product line.
Silicone is an inert lubricant, meaning it resists degradation in the presence of harsh chemicals. Additionally, silicone lubricants are hydrophobic and provide a seal that protects the surface against moisture and thus, corrosion. These features make silicones particularly desirable for O-ring and seal applications.