Sustainable production thanks to water-based lubricants
Sustainable and environmentally friendly production solutions have long ceased to be a niche topic. One subject that’s often overlooked, however, is lubricants. At Felss, our approach is to always ensure that we operate our production facilities and develop new products in a way that minimizes our environmental impact. Thus, our innovative, sustainable solution for lubricants is simply the logical result of this approach.
Why Is the Use of Sustainable Lubricants Worthwhile?
One decisive factor that has far-reaching effects on production processes is the selection of the lubricant. After all, a suitable lubricant isn’t only capable of effectively minimizing friction between moving parts – it can also reduce wear and tear on machines and tools. In turn, this prolongs the life of the tools, thereby improving the overall costs (TCO) as well. Energy efficiency can also be affected directly by the lubricant selected. Decreasing the friction between the components allows for a considerable reduction in energy consumption along with any associated carbon emissions.
Nicolas Heck
Veröffentlicht
Lubricants and Their Impacts on the Environment
When it comes to sustainability, it is becoming ever more important to select environmentally friendly lubricants. Products containing hazardous chemicals and additives are not only being increasingly banned by law – they also pose a threat to the environment.
This means that the selection of a lubricant affects not only the technical and economic efficiency of production processes but also their environmental compatibility, which is growing in importance in today’s eco-conscious society.
What Tangible Benefits Does an Eco-friendly Lubricant Offer?
An environmental friendly lubricant such as our Felss Eco Lube provides a wide range of benefits that go far beyond the conventional expectations of cooling lubricants. The first advantage is that it significantly reduces the carbon footprint and the production-related environmental impact.
Unlike commonly used emulsions, Felss Eco Lube lubricants are completely water-based. It is the water-based composition of our lubricants that the reduces the need for oil-based products, which are not only a frequently cause of harmful emissions but also a source of environmental risks and thus inevitably associated with extra disposal costs.
Traditional Lubricants
- Frequently based on additive-containing mineral oils.
- May release harmful emissions and cause environmental issues during disposal.
- Often require a high concentration to be effective.
- May exhibit poorer performance under high contact stresses.
- Require additional process steps such as degreasing or washing of components.
Felss Eco Lube
- Based on a water-based, completely oil-free formula.
- Significantly reduces the carbon footprint and environmental impact.
- Boasts high efficacy even at low concentrations.
- Provides improved lubrication performance, especially at high contact stresses.
- Eliminates the need to degrease components during the process, thereby saving time and money.
Axial Forming with Felss Eco Lube
Axial forming is an incremental forming process that makes it possible to manufacture components in a precise and efficient manner. Using Felss Eco Lube during this process can achieve a significant reduction in friction, especially during the return stroke. A frequency modulated movement of the forming die is used during the forming process. This is done to prevent continuous contact between the tool and the component.
Intermittent lubrication also helps to further reduce friction forces and thus boosts the efficiency of axial forming. Moreover, Felss Eco Lube allows for precise and high-quality splines to be created on long, thin-walled components without any of the problems typically encountered, such as compression or buckling.
Rotary Swaging with Felss Eco Lube
Rotary swaging is another important process in massive forming, which is commonly carried out at room temperature. Although the requirements for lubrication with rotary swaging are less stringent than those with axial forming, the lubricant still plays a vital role in cooling and cleaning the tools and forming zone. Thanks to our Eco Lube, these process steps are optimized. This significantly extends the tool life and lends the manufactured parts a higher surface quality.
Process Chain Optimization with Water-Based Lubricants
Using Felss Eco Lube not only makes it possible to improve individual forming processes such as axial forming and rotary swaging – it also helps optimize the entire process chain. Eliminating degreasing steps after and throughout the manufacturing process eliminates the need for extra washing operations, leading to time-, space-, and cost-savings while also reducing strain on the environment. The use of water-based lubricants would also make it possible to do without complex and expensive extinguishing systems in the machines.
As a result of this optimization, there is a notable decrease in the carbon footprint, shortened production cycles, lower initial investments costs, and extended tool life. This contributes to a major reduction in the total cost of ownership (TCO), which, along with light-weight construction and sustainability, plays a pivotal role – especially in the automobile industry.
What Makes Felss Eco Lube So Special?
The use of Felss Eco Lube in practical applications also highlights the fact that environmentally friendly lubricants can increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of production processes. By reducing friction, it leads to lower energy consumption and less wear and tear on machines and tools. A direct impact can be felt in component costs, particularly by prolonging the lifetime of tools.
Conclusion
Felss Eco Lube thus impressively demonstrates how eco-friendly lubricants not only help to protect the environment but also improve economic efficiency and make production processes more sustainable. They represent a key component in the strategy of companies that achieve their sustainability goals while also shoring up their competitive edge in a market that is becoming increasingly eco-conscious.
Come to us as early as the development phase of your projects
We support you throughout the entire process – from the drawing to the finished component and beyond.