PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE, Xylan®, Molybdenum Disulfide, and more: Advanced Industrial Coatings provides expert application services for a broad range of brand-name and custom dry film lubricants.
Dry film lubricants are coatings with a low coefficient of friction, often used as a durable alternative to greases or oils. Dry film lubricants also usually offer significantly higher operating temperatures than liquid lubricants Frequently used for sliding or rotating metal-to-metal contact applications, these thin-film coatings protect from seizing and galling.
Dry film lubricants are also frequently used for release applications and in many other contexts, due to their secondary properties including chemical and corrosion protection, extreme temperature resistance.
These coatings are also frequently used in aerospace and scientific applications because many of them will not out-gas even under extreme and vacuum pressure.
Key Dry Film Lubricant Coatings Applied at AIC and Their Properties
PTFE Coatings including Xylan® and DuPont Dry Film Lubricants. Most PTFE-based coatings are thin-film lubricants that provide exceptional friction reduction and protection from surface wear. Xylan® by Whitford Worldwide and DuPont Dry Film Lubricants are among the best-known and most often used. PTFE-based dry film lubricants are typically stable and extremely durable coatings that also provide excellent chemical and corrosion resistance. These coatings are frequently used for parts in the automotive, energy, aerospace, scientific and food-processing industries.
PFA and FEP. These coatings are durable, extreme-performance dry film lubricants. The selection between PFA or FEP as a dry film lubricant depends on the type of contact or wear anticipated. PFA in particular offers exceptional mechanical toughness and a broad range of friction reduction properties. Both PFA and FEP are well balanced, less porous than PTFE, and can resist higher temperatures.
ETFE. Characterized by extreme toughness, ETFE can be applied to a film of 40mls (1,000 micrometers). ETFE provides excellent chemical resistance. Resists operating temperatures up to 149° C / 300° F. ETFE also offers excellent dielectric properties.
Molybdenum Disulfide. Molybdenum disulfide is one of the original dry film lubricants, developed to offer higher operating temperatures than oil or grease could offer. Today, molybdenum is still used as a dry film lubricant, especially in aerospace applications because it provides lubrication in a vacuum and under extreme pressure. When coating with molybdenum disulfide, it is important to use an experienced applicator with practices that eliminate contamination, otherwise, this coating may be susceptible to contamination-induced oxidation.
AIC applies an enormous number of dry film lubricants from major and specialty coating manufacturers including Axalta (DuPont), Whitford Worldwide, and more.
Our most typical applications of dry film lubricants include:
- Dry lubricated bearings and fasteners
- Aerospace sliding surfaces
- Pistons
- Connectors and couplings
- Plastic molding parts