Technical Information
Design Engineering
Technical information
Base material properties:
Most solid film coatings/lubricants have a base material (pigment) and many are a combination of different base materials to meet a particular application need. Three of the most commonly used base materials in solid film coatings/lubricants are outlined below. This information should help you better understand which base material is right for a particular application.
| Solid Film Coating Base Material | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) | Extreme High Load Carrying Capability 100,000 PSI + (689,476 kPa) | Moisture Detrimental to performance |
| Lubricates under hard vacuum | Generally not suitable for highly radioactive environments | |
| Extremely wide temperature range. Cryogenic to 750° F (399° C) in air or 1200° F (649° C) (in inert environment ). | Begins to Oxidize at 750° F in air | |
| Extremely Low coefficient of friction (.03 to .06) | Not a good lubricant at extremely light loads | |
| Graphite | Extremely Low Coefficient of Friction (.02 to .06) | Typically provides very poor corrosion resistance |
| Lubricates from extremely light loads to 40,000 PSI (275,790 kPa) | Some moisture and air must be present for proper lubrication | |
| Has extremely wide temperature range from cryogenic to 1200° F (649° C) in air or over 2000°F (1093° C) in inert environment | Rarely used for cosmetic coatings | |
| Fluorinated Polymers | Very low coefficient of friction. Extremely light loads to 10,000 PSI (68,948 kPa) | Has fairly limited temperature range -150° F (101° C) to 500°F (260° C) |
| Highly chemically inert | Suitable only for low speed applications | |
| Electrically non-conductive | ||
| Can be incorporated into very corrosion resistant coatings | ||
| Lubricates without shedding |