Plastic On Plastic Lubricant
Machinery parts and components made from plastic can be an easier and more cost effective alternative to traditional metal parts for some applications.
Plastic on plastic lubricant. Standard petroleum based lubricants cannot be used for plastic gears and some plastic gears are designed to be used without lubricants. This quick study contains tips that will help you choose the best lubricant for your plastic part with special notes on gears. Similar to metal components proper lubrication can extend the operating life and efficiency beyond using no lubricant at all. Because silicone oil is super slippery and minimally reactive it can lubricate most anything.
Tips for lubricating plastic parts quick overview lubricants improve the performance and life of gears bearings slides and other plastic parts if they are formulated specifically for lubricating plastic components. Table 1 gives general compatibility guidelines. However plastics are a special case for two reasons. Some plastic gears can be embedded with lubricating materials such as ptfe silicone or graphite.
Incompatible plastic lubricant combinations often cause operating problems such as stress cracking or failure of the plastic component. As with all things silicone has its dark side.