your choices:
- soapy water - will make it easier to assemble and remain hard to dis-assemble
- Silicone spray - is a good lubricant to use, since it is fairly non-reactive and effective
- Petroleum jelly - this is also good.. but will stick to everything and will get on your hands.
What lubricants can be used on plastics?
A plastic part’s compatibility with lubricants is very much dependent on its chemical structure. The lubricants which work best with plastics are based on perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), and silicone. Lubricants made from esters and polyglycols are not suitable for most plastics.
Can I use oil with plastic parts?
Make sure your oil and plastic are compatible, otherwise the part may crack or craze, leading to premature failure Use caution with ester and polyalkylene glycol. They are compatible with only a limited number of plastics.
Why use synthetic lubricants in long-term plastic applications?
Aging Resistance – Lubricants that age are more likely to attack the plastic material. Hence, it is ideal to use synthetic lubricants in longer-term plastic applications because synthetic lubricants tend to have high aging resistance.
Are mineral-oil lubricants safe to use on plastics?
Mineral-oil-based lubricants don’t attack most plastics and offer excellent performance for an economical cost. However, if your application requires high operating speeds, high temperatures, or long operation, a better choice would be synthetic lubricants such as hydrocarbon (PAO) types.
What oil is safe for plastic?
an Oil for Use with Plastics Silicone and PFPE are generally safe with all plastics. Synthetic hydrocarbons and mineral oils are usually compatible with most plastics, though high and low operating temperatures may rule out mineral oils.
Can WD-40 be used on plastic?
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.
Can you use vaseline on plastic?
0:285:03Does VASELINE Actually Eat Plastic from Speedcubes? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe first one is is petroleum jelly slash vaseline safe for plastic. Here's what i found the shortMoreThe first one is is petroleum jelly slash vaseline safe for plastic. Here's what i found the short answer is basically no google does admit that it can't dissolve plastics immediately.
What can I use to lubricate plastic gears?
Typically, lubricants based on silicone, PFAE (perflourinated), most synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), or mineral oils work well with plastics.
How do you lubricate plastic parts?
Lubricants based on silicone, perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, and synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), typically work well with plastics. Esters and polyglycols are generally not compatible with plastic, although there are exceptions based on the type of plastic material.
Where should you not use WD-40?
But Don't Spray It On:Door hinges. Sure, WD-40 will stop the squeaking, but it also attracts dust and dirt. ... Bike chains. WD-40 can cause dirt and dust to stick to a chain. ... Paintball guns. WD-40 can melt the seals in the guns.Locks. ... iPods and iPads.
How do you remove Vaseline from plastic?
To avoid damage to plastics as well as minimize ventilation issues, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol can be used to remove petroleum jelly from most surfaces. Isopropyl alcohol is inert to most household surfaces, including almost every plastic, and removes petroleum jelly efficiently.
Is Lithium Grease safe for plastic?
It's not advisable to use them on plastic parts. As lithium is based on petroleum, it tends to speed up rubber and plastic components decay. Lithium-based grease can withstand high temperatures and are perfect for cars, heavy machinery, and guns.
Does Vaseline destroy rubber?
Vaseline does indeed damage rubber, which is why you can get alternative special lubricants for naughty purposes.
Is silicone spray good for plastic?
Silicone spray lubricant is suitable for metal, plastic, rubber, vinyl, wood, nylon and many other materials. Most quality silicone lubricants, including CRC 808 Silicone, are designed to respond well to extreme weather conditions, including extreme heat and freezing conditions.
Does grease break down plastic?
It is true that some lubricants (both mineral and synthetic based) can cause plastics and elastomers to swell or crack over time. The swelling, cracking and even discolouration are not instant and can take many hours of exposure to the grease for the damage to occur.
Is silicone grease good for plastic gears?
In lubricants, a silicone base oil is commonly used in greases for plastic gears, control cables, and seals because they are inert, compatible with most plastics and elastomers, and remain stable over a wide temperature range.
How do you fix sun damaged plastic?
If you've got white plastic that's faded to yellow, you can actually restore it with hydrogen peroxide! Tape off or cover any colored areas with some clear tape or masking tape so they're protected. Use a 12% hydrogen peroxide cream instead of the liquid and brush an even layer over the area.
How do you fix sun damaged plastic on a car?
0:241:52RESTORE Faded Plastic and Make it Look NEW - Easy and Cheap!YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut as you can see if you take your time. And you go slow. And you watch the plastic you can seeMoreBut as you can see if you take your time. And you go slow. And you watch the plastic you can see when the oil start to to liquefy. And you can see the color changing.
Is petroleum jelly water resistant?
Petroleum jelly is water-resistant; thus not allowing for any true skin moisturizing. Petroleum jelly is widely used as a moisturizing agent, and provides as much because it traps moisture under it's thick layer. However, petroleum is hydrophobic, and fresh exposure to air or clean water is virtually impossible.
What is petroleum jelly made of?
Petroleum jelly (also called petrolatum) is a mixture of mineral oils and waxes, which form a semisolid jelly-like substance. This product hasn't changed much since Robert Augustus Chesebrough discovered it in 1859. Chesebrough noticed that oil workers would use a gooey jelly to heal their wounds and burns.
Is it necessary to grease or lubricate plastic gears?
Lubricating or greasing isn't always necessary. Most plastic gears can run without any kind of lubrication; however, using the right lubrication ca...
Can vaseline be used as a lubricant?
Vaseline or petroleum jelly is compatible with plastics but won't give ideal results. Even if you go with it checking its chemical compatibility wi...
What is Teflon grease?
Teflon grease is comprised of PTFE and can be used in most plastic parts. The presence of PTFE ensures a formation of a dry film and avoiding solid...
How to lubricate plastic wheels?
For lubricating plastic wheels, a PTFE spray will be perfect. It's easily available and manufactured by many brands.
Is Silicone Spray a dry lubricant?
It is not a dry lubricant and shouldn't be used here; pressure and load-bearing are involved.
What lubricant works best with plastic?
The lubricants which work best with plastics are based on perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), and silicone.
Why is plastic lubricant important?
Plastic lubricants are essential for greasing or polishing plastic parts to increase their life, reduce power consumption and friction. When choosing a lubricant, the most crucial factor is how compatible it is with the plastic part.
How to Figure Out the Compatibility of Plastic Parts and Lubricants?
To determine the compatibility between lubricants and plastics, the best way is to observe the changes in the physical properties of plastic material under conditions such as environment, speed, and load. Manufacturers should closely monitor the changes in hardness, strength, elongation, weight, and volume.
What temperature is lubricant used for?
They are most useful in elevated temperature operations – up to 260°C.
What temperature should silicone lubricant be?
The lubricants can bring a lot to the table, like great compatibility and a wide working temperature range – -67-218°C.
What are the three criteria for choosing a plastic lubricant?
There are three important criteria to follow for choosing a plastic lubricant: Viscosity. Chemistry. Aging Resistance. 1. Viscocity: High viscosity chemicals are the best option as lubricants as they give good protection to plastic parts against cracks, piercing, or otherwise any adverse effects. Higher loads would need oils with higher viscos ity ...
What is Teflon grease made of?
Ans. Teflon grease is comprised of PTFE and can be used in most plastic parts. The presence of PTFE ensures a formation of a dry film and avoiding solid containments.
What is the best lubricant for plastic?
However, if your application requires high operating speeds, high temperatures, or long operation, a better choice would be synthetic lubricants such as hydrocarbon (PAO) types . PAOs are compatible with most plastics, have high aging resistance, and offer long-term lubrication within a temperature range of -60º to 320ºF.
What lubricant is compatible with plastic?
A lubricant’s compatibility with plastic is largely determined by its chemical structure. Lubricants based on silicone, perfluorinated PFAE, mineral oils, and synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC or PAO), typically work well with plastics. Esters and polyglycols are generally not compatible with plastic, although there are exceptions based on the type of plastic material. Sometimes additives can cause an undesirable or unintended reaction between the lubricant and the plastic. Solid additives like graphite and molybdenum disulfide can penetrate and weaken a plastic part. Conversely, PTFE solid additives can be beneficial in certain cases, such as providing dry lubrication or reducing startup friction.
Why are synthetic lubricants good?
That is why synthetic lubricants, which have a high aging resistance, are the best choice for long-term applications. Outgassing byproducts of plastic, particularly formaldehyde and styrene, accelerate the lubricant aging process and should be kept to a minimum if possible.
What are the properties of plastic?
These properties include weight, volume, hardness, strength, and elongation.
Why is it important to lubricate plastic?
It is always a good idea to lubricate plastic components whenever possible because it reduces friction and wear, lowers power consumption, and increases part life. For example, studies have shown that lubricated plastic sliding bearings last up to five times longer than non-lubricated ones.
What is the temperature range of PFAE lubricant?
Silicone-based lubricants also show excellent compatibility and are a great choice for low load applications and a wide temperature range (typically -90º to 425ºF). PFAE lubricants are extremely compatible, even with hard-to-match plastics, and can be used in extreme temperature applications, up to 500ºF. However, because of their high cost, PFAE lubricants should only be used where necessary.
What to consider when choosing lubricant?
The first thing to consider when choosing lubricants is the material of the plastic parts to which it will be applied. The last thing you will want is for your lubricant to react with the plastic, causing loosening of the parts or any premature degradation.
What is the oil in lubricant?
The oil is the base ingredient of the lubricant. It’s the compound that gives lubricants their unique friction-reducing capability. Although there are lots of oils used in lubricants, they can be classified into two broad categories – mineral oils and synthetic oils. However, blends that combine both mineral and synthetic oils are also common.
What is the difference between grease and oil?
The difference between the two is quite simple. Grease is merely an oil treated with a thickener, giving it a viscosity that is much higher than oil. However, they still have the same basic function when applied to moving parts. The choice between grease and oil is a question of the demands of the application.
Why is lubricant important?
Their main purpose is to reduce the friction between moving parts, thus allowing them to perform more consistently and greatly reduce both wear and tear and power consumption. Depending on the material of the lubricant, it can also act as a buffer against sudden temperature changes or protect against oxidation.
Why is synthetic oil misnomer?
The term ‘synthetic oil’ is a bit of misnomer because it’s also derived from mineral oil. By subjecting mineral oils through extensive treatment, synthetic oil is merely a version with significantly fewer impurities and undesired substances. This makes synthetic oils less prone to leaving residue or “sludge.”.
Which is better, mineral oil or synthetic oil?
Between the two, synthetic oils are clearly superior. The oil film that a synthetic oil makes is generally stronger an equivalent film made with mineral oil and has better thermal stability. In comparison, mineral oils are more prone to thickening at low temperatures and volatilizing at higher temperatures.
Can synthetic oil be used in plastic?
Most mineral oils generally have good compatibility across different plastics. On the other hand, the use of synthetic oils has to be done a bit more selectively . For instance, Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) oil cannot be used with ABS, PVC, or PC.
Why does the igus® plastic thread not have to be lubricated?
Basically, a lubricated thread system should not be compared one-to-one with a dry-running system. Due to the external lubrication, the coefficient of friction is lower compared to a dry running thread system. However, the lubricant also causes high maintenance requirements and additional costs, which are often not taken into account.
Is WD-40 a penetrating oil?
This is due to the fact that WD-40 is referred to as a "penetrating oil".
Can you use WD-40 on lead screw nuts?
Even though our plastic components don't require any external lubricants, people still want to know if they can use WD-40 or another lubricant on them. This article is intended to emphasize that absolutely no lubrication is required for our lead screw nuts; however, you can still use the WD-40 or OKS400 if you'd like.
Can dryspin lead screw nuts be lubricated?
In conclusion, it can be said that the dryspin® lead screw nuts are resistant to most commercially available lubricants. However, there could well be increased, but also less wear. If you really want to lubricate externally, lithium saponified, mineral oil-based greases are best suited.
Can Iglide nuts be lubricated?
In justified cases, however, an external lubrication of iglide® threaded nuts can be considered to reduce the coefficient of friction or to increase the speed without generating noise. However, one of our experts should always be consulted as to whether this really makes sense for your application.
What is the purpose of lubricant in plastic?
Lubricants improve the performance and life of gears, bearings, slides, and other plastic parts — if they are formulated specifically for lubricating plastic components. This Quick-Study contains tips that will help you choose the best lubricant for your plastic part, with special notes on gears, bearings, slides, no-lube plastics, and how to avoid the Stick-Slip phenomenon.
Why do we lubricate plastic gears?
Lubricating plastic gears and bearings, even “no-lube” plastics, boosts part performance and life
What is lubrication in PTFE?
Lubrication reduces friction between a PTFE sleeve bearing and a steel shaft.
What additives improve lubrication?
2, and graphite are load carrying additives that improve the lubricity of a grease, especially on start-up.
What are the qualities of additives in grease?
Additivesenhance critical performance qualities of a grease, such as low temperature torque, corrosion protection, and oxidation resistance.
Does plastic lubricant last longer?
Even lightly loaded, low speed components with “ no lube” plastic (i.e., plastic internally lubricated with an oil or solid lubricant) will last longer and run more quietly with an “external” lubricant than without one, as seen in the graph above. Consider life and performance requirements.
Do lubricants work well on polished surfaces?
Lubricants don’t work very well when placed between two ultra-smooth, polished surfaces.
What does a lubricant do for plastic gears?
The best way to emphasize the importance of lubrication is to describe what happens to gears when they work without being lubricated. When a set of gear teeth come into contact, the point of contact experiences compressive stress, which propagates and moves as the gear turns. Because of repeated and sustained compressive stress of the teeth, the plastic material can experience any of the following:
What is the number one factor to consider when lubricating plastic gears?
The number one factor to consider is if the lubricant will be compatible with the material of the plastic gear. This means that contact between the lubricant and the gear will not cause the gear to deteriorate prematurely, which can make pits or cracks on the surface of the gear over a long time.
What does lubricant do?
What does a lubricant do, exactly? Basically, it provides a very thin film that separates the two surfaces of gear teeth, allowing a gear to turn without the teeth making direct contact . Lubricants also have a lower coefficient of friction than the plastic material of the gears, reducing the work lost to friction and heat generation.
Why are plastic gears so lightweight?
The lightweight characteristic of plastics means that they carry less inertia when they move, which allows for better control in their movements. This has made plastic gears the preferred technology for high-precision applications, such as equipment used for aerospace travel or by the military.
What is internal lubricant?
These are called “ internal lubricants” and significantly the friction coefficient at the surface of plastic gears. However, there are certain operating conditions that benefit from the use of an external lubricant even if the plastic gears in use already have internal lubricants embedded into them. However, the matter of chemical compatibility is ...
Why do lubricants leak out of the system?
When it comes to the thermal stability of a lubricant, you will want to consider both ends of the spectrum. At low temperatures, some lubricants might lose on their film-forming capabilities due to increased viscosity. However, some lubricants may start leaking out of the system when exposed to high temperatures.
What is plastic gear?
Nowadays, many food processing plants, chemical manufacturers, and medical equipment use plastic gears to varying degrees. Plastic gears excel in areas where metals are particularly vulnerable. They are cheap, easy to make, lightweight, operate quietly, and do not rust.
How to keep plastics from sticking together?
A few drops of worm oil can be added to bags of soft plastics to freshen up dried out plastics. The oil will also keep them from sticking together, and keep them lasting longer without drying out.
Can you put worm oil on plastic bags?
You could try buying Worm Oil which is what they put on plastics so they don't dry up in the bags. To be honest if they're really dried up you may not be able to restore them to how they should be. The only thing to do is try it. If not, go buy some new ones.
