Improve Performance with Grease Additives
At Nye, our formulation experts pay close attention to making sure Nye greases are appropriately addivated to ensure your application is experiencing optimum performance.
Additive technology is a complicated business because it involves several different chemistries. Often times, one additive can adversely interact with another additive as they both compete for the same area on substrate surfaces. This kind of interaction becomes futile because it leads to the cancelling of the additives desired properties. Conversely, the use of two different additive chemistries can have a positive synergistic effect on your application’s performance.
These complex chemistries and interactions of various additives are paramount to properly formulating a high performance grease that fits your application specifications.
Some of the more important additives that are used in formulation greases are listed below:
| Additive | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Anticorrosion | Slows deterioration of non-noble metals |
| Antioxidant | Prolongs life of base oil by increasing the oxidation resistance |
| Antirust | Slows corrosion of iron alloys |
| Antiwear | Helps protect loaded metal surfaces by forming a protective film |
| Color/UV Dye | Visual markers for inspection or assembly |
| Conductive Agent | Adds thermal or electrical conductivity |
| Extreme Pressure (EP) | Solids burnish into surface under pressure forming a protective layer to prevent seizure and severe damage |
| Friction Modifier | Reduces the coefficient of friction |
| High-Temperature Enhancer | Boosts high-temperature limit of oil |
| Tackifier | Increases ability to adhere to moving parts |
| Viscosity Modifiers | Alters oil viscosity |
In the coming LubeLetters, we will describe some of the most common additives including anticorrosion and antirust, antioxidants, extreme pressure and anti wear, and explain how they function in our grease to help improve your application’s performance.
