Braycote® Vacuum Greases
Protocol for applying ultrathin layer of lubricant on "O" rings, called grease plating.
Introduction:
There are times when there is the need for a high vacuum lubricant on an "O" ring
but the amount to be applied must be kept to a very bare bones minimum in order to
eliminate possibilities for undesirable contamination in other parts of the system.
Intuitively, it is clear that the thinner the lubricant layer the less likely
lubricant will migrate into critical areas where is not wanted.
Grease Plating:
We don't know for sure where the name originated, but it is used in the
high vacuum industry of persons using ultra high vacuum lubricants on "O" rings.
Our preferred protocol is to use
Castrol® Fluoroclean™ X100 or
Castrol Fluoroclean HE,
into which the PFPE grease is dissolved or in the
case where a thickener is involved, more correctly, suspended.
The "O" ring (or whatever the part might be) is then dipped into the solvent and allowed to dry. Care must be
taken to allow it to dry uniformly, therefore it should not be hung vertically, since a
"bead" will form at the bottom, resulting in a higher concentration of lubricant on that
side of the part. This technique results in a thin layer of grease being deposited onto
the part's surface. In some instances, it might be desirable to wipe the solvent on to
the parts rather than dipping. We do not have any recommendations about the
lubricant/Fluoroclean ratio so that must be determined by trial and error.
In general, any of the PFPE lubricants should work, but if one desires characteristics of low out
gassing and cold temperature performance, we would recommend something like
Braycote® 600EF
or
Braycote® Micronic 1613,
unless a corrosion inhibitor is desired, then
Braycote® 601EF. If the out
gassing and cold temperature characteristics are not too demanding,
Braycote® Micronic 803 may also be considered.
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Sunday July 05, 2009
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