In metalwork, the moving components frequently come into contact, heat builds up. When this happens, friction and wear are the results. This damage to the metal parts can result in production and/or performance being negatively affected. To avoid the harm resulting from friction, the use of metalworking lubricants becomes necessary.
Grease as a Metalworking Lubricant
Grease is a common term. It is applied to everything from turkey fat to inedible lard. For centuries, grease has been used to lubricate machinery. Animal fats were the very first type of grease used for this purpose. Later soap was used to “grease the engines.”
Today, the word is defined as an oily lubricant. Its source may be natural, such as rendered fat or lard, or from the petrochemical or synthetic oil industries. This is an oil thickened with soap or another type of thickener. The result can be semifluid or solid in consistency.
Common examples or sources consist of:
- Fatty acids
- Methyl esters
- Fatty alcohols
Whether natural or synthetic, they are frequently used as metalworking lubricants in both the automotive and industrial industries.
Primary Function
The primary function of grease as one of the various potential metalworking lubricants is to create a separation between metal parts. This could be between the equipment and the parts it is creating. It could also apply to the contact that occurs between functioning metal components in various active operating equipment e. g. automotive transmissions, engines, etc. The intent is to provide lubricity, therefore, avoiding harm resulting from metal-to-metal contact.
