Apiezon waxes are versatile products offering a multitude of uses. Quite a bit of technical information is known about these products, and the user should take advantage of the information available on our Apiezon Wax technical data sheet that describes this part of the Apiezon product line.
The Apiezon diffusion pump fluid is known for its exceptional higher degree of oxidation resistance.
The Apiezon family of high vacuum greases are known the world over for their high quality, consistency and excellent compatibility for high vacuum applications. Extensive on-line technical information to help in the selection of the proper lubricant is available on-line for all featured Apiezon products. Most of the Apiezon greases are free of both halogens and silicones, free only of silicones or contains micronized polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In summary the Apiezon greases are silicone and halogen free, most made of pure hydrocarbon materials.
In electron microscopy the Apiezon M grease is the most widely used.
Those wanting the cleanest vacuum systems possible should select the more premium type product Apiezon L.
Since all of the Apiezon greases are silicone free there is never a risk of Si contaminating the microscope column which could result in "seeing" Si
being detected in all x-ray spectra. Read comments from actual customers.
All Apiezon greases are readily removed with common laboratory solvents.
We are not aware of the Apiezon greases being approved to U.S. MIL specifications. What can be said is that all the greases are used by the U.S. Military over a wide range of Navy, Army and Air Force facilities and we have learned this from the many technical inquiries that come from these organizations. Apiezon H and L are NASA approved and covered in NASA document NASA RP-1124.
The Apiezon N grease has been specially formulated for cryogenic use down to -269°C. (This is approaching liquid helium temperatures).
We would recommend for stopcocks and ground glass joints, Apiezon AP 101.
We are often times asked about the use of Apiezon greases for the protection of metal contacts. As a general statement, although all of the Apiezon greases are good insulators, in a metal to metal switch or contact, the grease film is so thin at the actual point of contact that it just is not enough to interfere with the passage of current for all but the smallest of voltages. For example, Apiezon L has an electrical strength of 720 volts per mil (0.001"/25 µm). In a metal-to-metal contact, the film of grease would be only on the order of 0.00001" (250 nm) or less, giving an electrical strength of only 7 volts. These comments were for operation at or in the vicinity of room temperature. For higher temperature operation, we would recommend the use of Apiezon T or Apiezon H. Such decisions should be made on the basis of the table of technical information for this unique family of greases. To our knowledge, Apiezon N is the Apiezon grease to be tested for this purpose of use as a contact grease in pressed metal contacts. Other Apiezon grease could be used, but the Apiezon N is the best choice for these applications. Some of these applications include electrical contacts in power distribution equipment as well as in certain applications where the refractive index values become important.
Virtually all of the Apiezon greases have applications in the electronics industry and we work hard to make sure that the greases offered by SPI Supplies are indeed described properly for this application. This has been especially true in terms of sodium content measurements on the Apiezon greases.
All of the Apiezon greases are generally OK with most commonly used "O" ring materials such as silicone rubber, Viton® fluoroelastomer, Neoprene®, and polyurethane. While there could very well be others, we are aware of at least three polymers for which the Apiezon greases are absolutely NOT compatible. The first is PVC (polyvinyl chloride), but we are not aware that this polymer would ever be used as an "O" ring material of construction. However, the other polymers are ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) and EPDM, and under no circumstances should any of the Apiezon greases or oils be used in conjunction with these elastomers. Both EPR and EPDM elastomer are readily plasticized by petroleum hydrocarbons so any of the Apiezon greases or oils can have a softening and/or swelling effect on them. As in any materials selection process, be sure to do adequate testing to make sure that the particular grease/elastomer selected will indeed give the desired results.
This is one of the most often asked questions. Any of the Apiezon greases would be just fine on "o" rings (see above discussion on compatibility issues). The main determining considerations for grease selection would be temperature range of operation and vapor pressure requirements. If application was going to be at around room temperature, our philosophy is to use the cheapest, which is Apiezon M. Another candidate would be Apiezon 101, which is a PTFE filler and was originally formulated to be an "anti-seizing" grease. It has greater water repellency than the others. As already stated, none of the Apiezon greases should be used on EPR or EPDM elastomers. If one of these two polymers are present, we suggest one of the Braycote® greases be considered.
The Apiezon greases contain NO corrosion inhibitors. The reason why the question gets asked is that when certain corrosion inhibitors are added to a lubricant, they tend to reduce somewhat the vapor pressure characteristics of the final formulated lubricant. All of the Apiezon greases, unlike other vacuum greases, are compatible with aluminum. If you think you could have a corrosion problem, do the testing you feel necessary in order to be convinced that the grease is indeed suitable for your intended application.
All Apiezon grease products are guaranteed for ten years from the date of manufacturer provided they are in their unopened tubes and have been stored at recommended temperatures. Since there is no reason why even at ten years, the grease should go into some kind of state of sudden deterioration, the actual lifetime could very well be longer. On the other hand, if the tube has been opened, and the contents exposed to the effects of oxidation, deterioration in properties might occur in less than a ten year period. If you have in your possession one of the Apiezon grease products you purchased from SPI Supplies within the past 5 years and you would like to know the date of manufacture, send us the SPI part #, the SPI Supplies lot # on the maroon SPI Supplies label as well as the six figure lot number stamped on the tube itself and we may be able to send you the date of manufacture.
