What are the most common industrial lubricant types?

While all lubricants fulfil a basic role in reducing friction and preventing unnecessary wear on components, different lubricant types have been developed by lubricant companies like FUCHS UK , Castrol , and Mobil Lubricants Europe to better suit the needs of a particular industrial application.

Here’s a rundown of some of the more common types of industrial lubricant:

Gear oil

Any gear system would involve considerable metal-on-metal contact without lubrication, and industrial gear systems can operate at very high temperatures.

Gear oils are therefore usually developed with high viscosity base oils and additives to cope with the extreme pressure and prevent unnecessary wear.

Hydraulic fluid

Numerous industrial systems feature hydraulic machinery. The main purpose of a hydraulic fluid is to provide efficient energy transmission while also protecting and cooling components.

Metalworking fluid

Cutting fluids are slightly different to the average lubricant because they need to both lubricate and dissipate heat during the machining process, as well as disperse any metal particles, in order to extend the serviceable life of tools.

Compressor oil

Compressor oil is generally designed to keep compressor systems running reliably and efficiently. They often feature outstanding thermal stability and resistance to oxidisation and incorporate additive packages that are tailored to keeping components clean and protecting them from wear.

Gas engine oil

Gas engines are used for power generation. While some will run on relatively clean natural gas, others may run on mine gas, landfill gas or biogas, so it’s important to pick a gas engine oil that’s suitable for the fuel being used.

Slideway oil

Slideway systems need effective lubrication to improve performance and reduce stick slip and judder.

To ensure that the oil adheres to moving parts as much as possible rather than running off, especially when slideways are inclined or even vertical, slideway oils usually have a tackifier in their additive package.

Food-safe lubricants

Food-safe lubricants need to do much the same job as other lubricants in ensuring the efficient and reliable operation of equipment, but the food industry faces particular challenges when selecting lubricants.

The main concern is that it’s usually inevitable that a lubricant will have some incidental contact with the food product, so it needs to be based on food-safe ingredients, as well as not affect the taste, smell or colour of the food.

To learn more about lubricants, oils and greases, explore Oil Store's resource section: https://www.oil-store.co.uk/resources/