Oil free - What does it mean?
Metalworking without the use of mineral oil
- Water-based lubricants
- Water-free lubricants
While most of our water-based lubricants are also oil-free according to the API API (American Institute of Petroleum). This does not always apply to our water-free products.
Our water-free products are based on native (e.g. vegetable oils) and synthetic esters and polymers.
According to the API definition, ester-based lubricants are also oils, but they must be viewed completely differently in terms of sustainability and biodegradability.
Our lubricants are biodegradable according to OECD 301 biologisch abbaubar.
Why we want to avoid mineral oil
- Low disposal costs
- Low environmental hazard
- Simpler occupational safety measures
- Reduce2-Footprint
- Kennzeichnungsfreie niedrigviskose verdampfende Schmierstoffe
What are the limitations of (mineral oil)-free lubricants?
Most forming processes can be carried out using mineral oil-free products. In some cases, minor adjustments to the process are necessary, particularly during the application process.
Nevertheless, there are still processes that cannot yet be performed using mineral oil-free lubricants, or only to a limited extent. Many of these are carried out using chlorinated paraffin-based forming oils. Chlorine is a very potent additive for lubricants, but it also has significant disadvantages, particularly in terms of environmental impact. Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins have been listed in the Stockholm Convention since 2025 (short-chain since 2018).
A large part of our development work is currently focused on replacing these products with environmentally friendly alternatives.
What alternatives are there to mineral oil?
The main task of the carrier fluid is to "absorb" the additives. In addition, the carrier fluid has a significant influence on the viscosity of the finished product. This, in turn, has a strong influence on cold lubrication performance.
What additives are in the lubricants?
Every lubricant is a combination of the carrier fluid and additives. The tribological properties of lubricants are largely determined by the correct combination and quantity of additives.
The additives used in our lubricants are all carefully selected to meet our high standards in terms of quality and sustainability.