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Frequently Asked Questions
What to look for in a plastic gear lubricant?
As we all know, there is an important point to note when choosing a plastic gear grease, and that is the need for good compatibility between the plastic part and the grease:
1. Lubricity
Scientific studies have shown that the correct use of plastic grease largely guarantees the operation and lubrication of components, minimises noise and extends the life of the mechanism.
2. Adhesion
Excellent adhesion is required and the grease does not soften or flake out at high temperatures.
3. Non-harmful to humans
If used in contact with the human body and in the production of foodstuffs, care must be taken to ensure that the grease used is safe for humans.
4. Non-corrosive to metals
Gear contact surfaces are mainly divided into plastic/plastic, plastic/metal and metal/metal, and the grease used does not have a corrosive effect on the metal. Otherwise it can lead to metal gears dropping powder and contaminating the lubrication jam.
5. Durability
Requires a small coefficient of friction and high load-bearing capacity, most plastic parts with grease are not commonly replaced, such as toy gears.
6. Wide temperature
For lubrication in low temperature environments, such as optical focusing systems, starter motor gears, control cables, lubrication of transmitters and silencing; high temperature environments correspond to point 2, where the manufacturing process of some components may also be exposed to high temperatures, such as general baking paint.
In gearing, the gearing requires its accuracy, smoothness and uniformity, especially for high-end products where the gearing accuracy requirements are even higher. The use of plastic parts in the process, the selection of the appropriate grease can reduce friction and wear, reduce noise is very important.
As each plastic has a different compatibility with grease and different physical properties, a variety of factors must be taken into account before making a choice.
So what are the specific considerations when choosing a grease for plastic gears?
(1) Gear speed
Gear speed refers to the working speed of the gears, to small gears, for example, the speed of up to thousands of thousands of revolutions, the base oil viscosity should be lower, otherwise it will cause excessive current or a turn on the fly away from the situation.
(2) Temperature range when gears are in operation
Especially for lubrication at low temperatures below -20°C, base oils with excellent low temperature performance need to be selected, otherwise they can cause freezing at low temperatures.
(3) Noise reduction effect
When it comes to noise, this is not only considered from the grease, because the grease is to play an auxiliary noise reduction role, there is also the problem of precision fit between the gears, because again good grease, such as the structure of the fit is not high, then the role is not very big;.
(4) Working environment of gears
Gears that are exposed to water, dust, or other chemical media require grease with good water resistance.
In addition, there are specific applications where plastic gears require greases that are corrosion resistant, acid and alkali resistant.
