Going Farther with NyeTorr® 6350EL

NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL are the latest lubricants in Nye’s new Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) Extended Life (EL) product line. The EL product line consists of ultra-high-vacuum greases for the Aerospace Industry.

When compared with the legacy PFPE lubricants on the market, NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL demonstrate a significant improvement in friction and wear reduction, thus extending the life of bearings and other space components. In addition to extending component life lubricants can also increase load carrying ability, control motion, and reduce contamination.

These products can be used on a variety of components including:

  • Precision bearings
  • Gears
  • Actuators
  • Ball & Lead Screws

What Benefits Can NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL Offer Your Application?

The introduction of NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL marks a leap forward in PFPE lubricant technology. These greases increase the durability, functionality and reliability of any rolling or sliding component to prolong the life of space mechanisms and outlast your mission life requirements.

Components in space mechanisms are now expected to last longer and offer extended reliability. As the ability to service or replace these components is limited or non-existent, lubricants must be able to protect components for the entirety of their intended life. NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL space greases have shown greater than a 12x improvement in the life of rolling element bearings over legacy vacuum lubricants.

TEST DETAILS: R0F+ Deep Groove Ball Bearing Life (Fr = 100N, Fa = 200N, 230 °C, 10,000 RPM)
GRAPH KEY: Gray = Heritage PFPE | Blue = NyeTorr® 6350EL | Red = NyeTorr® 6370EL

NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL offer good film strength and ensure moving parts are coated to minimize contact, reduce friction, and protect components under heavy loads.

TEST DETAILS: Tested using a SRV Reciprocating Tribometer & Mini Traction Machine
GRAPH KEY: Gray = Heritage PFPE | Blue = NyeTorr® 6350EL | Red = NyeTorr® 6370EL

Outgassing is akin to evaporation, or the release of smaller fractional molecules from the bulk liquid or solid material. Evaporation loss can compromise a lubricant's integrity over time, and these evaporation losses are accelerated when operating in vacuum. Lubricants with lower outgassing means a lower loss of lubricant material over time, resulting in longer lubricant operating life.

TEST DETAILS: 125 °C, 24 h, 8.0 x 10-6 Torr
GRAPH KEY: Gray = Heritage PFPE | Blue = NyeTorr® 6350EL | Red = NyeTorr® 6370EL

NyeTorr® 6350EL & 6370EL offer the lowest outgassing of any vacuum grease offered by Nye and results in a lower total mass loss compared to the industry’s legacy PFPE grease.

Outgassed molecules can also condense on surfaces and adversely affect the optical or surface properties of the parts onto which it condenses.  For example, low outgassing lubricants are recommended for components near the camera lens to avoid contamination and prevent optics from becoming compromised during operation.  

The term dynamic particle generation describes what happens when contaminants are created by being forced or expelled into the operating environment from a lubricated ball-screw, bearing, or gear system in motion. These contaminants could include base oil constituents, thickener particles, additives, etc. and are expelled from the grease through dynamic mechanical movement whether it be rolling, sliding, or a combination of both. This should not be confused with outgassing as particle generation is unrelated to the pressure effects on a system.

TEST DETAILS: 2400 RPM &1.2 m/s Air Speed
GRAPH KEY: Gray = Heritage PFPE | Blue = NyeTorr® 6350EL | Red = NyeTorr® 6370EL

NyeTorr® 6350EL vs. 6370EL

The NyeTorr®EL series is comprised of two products, 6350EL and 6370EL, developed to offer flexibility in lubrication of high-vacuum mechanisms. The main difference between these two greases is the kinematic viscosity. The 6350EL is a lighter version that is aligned with a legacy or "heritage PFPE" grease. 6350EL allows for direct replacement of heritage greases with the added benefits of improved life, reliability, and reduced wear. The 6350EL grease is a universal, high performing grease well suited for most space applications.

Due to its higher viscosity and molecular structure, 6370EL was formulated to optimize performance under extreme conditions including high contact stresses, loads or additional needs in performance at high and low temperatures.

Both NyeTorr® 6350EL and 6370EL provide improved mechanism life, extremely low outgassing and particle generation and result in improved reliability over any PFPE vacuum lubricant in today's space market.

Properties

Test Conditions

NyeTorr®
6350EL

NyeTorr®
6370EL

Test
Method

Base Oil

-

PFPE

PFPE

-

Temperature Range

-

-80 to 250 °C

-90 to 250 °C

-

Kinematic Viscosity

40 °C

100 °C

200 cSt

48 cSt

362 cSt

103 cSt

ASTM D445

Worked Penetration

P60

281

285

ASTM D1403

Oil Separation

24h, 100 °C

6.30%

4.73%

ASTM D6184

Particulate Count

10 - 34 microns

<400/CC

<400/CC

ED-STD-791D

4 Ball-Wear

40 kg load, 1200 RPM,
1 h, 75 °C

0.74 mm

0.67 mm

ASTM D2266

Vacuum Stability

-

TML
0.06

CVCM
0.0008

TML
0.06

CVCM
0.0006

ASTM E595

NASA SP-R-0022A

ROF+ Bearing Life

Fr=100 N, Fa=200 N,
230 °C, 10,000 RPM

>2,300 Hours

>2,200 Hours

CTM-059

Bearing Corrosion

96 h, 52 °C,
Distilled Water

No Corrosion

No Corrosion

ASTM D1743

Knudsen Vapor Pressure

25 °C

200 °C

5.76 E-12

1.12 E-08

6.29 E-16

2.96 E-06

CTM-59

Dynamic Particle Generation

-

ISO 4

ISO 4

CTM

TML: Total Mass Loss
CVCM: Collected Volatile Condensable Materials
CTM: Custom Test Method

Visit our Space page to learn more about our other products for vacuum applications.