Selecting the suitable grease can be hard, and with the ever-increasing ranges of grease as well as applications, this choice keeps getting harder. The main factor that influences the kind of grease you choose is the application and operating conditions. For instance, you need different types of grease for bearings when it’s dusty, wet, hot, or dirty. Each of these factors has varying impacts on different greases. Also, certain greases cannot cope with these elements.
Various Uses of Grease
Grease is a lubricant that’s thicker than oil. It is used in moving parts of a machine or vehicle. Usually, oil is used internally, and it flows through various passages and tubes, working as a part of the cycle or system that lubricates it as it circulates. On the other hand, grease is thick and is used in areas that require lubrication without flow. It is semi-solid making it great for irregular lubrication on areas that aren’t protected by oil because it’s unable to stay put. Grease is also suitable for protecting some mechanisms against water or other incompressible materials.
Before you can choose the right grease, you have to consider its makeup as well as components, base oil, thickener, and viscosity. Whether it’s molly grease or any other type of grease, these factors should help you choose a suitable product:
Viscosity
For grease to stay put when applied on a surface, it needs to have a high viscosity. This is the only way it can protect the area or mechanism against friction effects. Viscosity is simply the lubricant’s thickness. The main components that make grease are thickeners, oil, and additives. Because of this, you will need to consider viscosity.
Base
The base oil used to make grease can be synthetic or mineral. It is essential to know that there is a huge difference in the outcome. Synthetic grease is made using synthetic base oils. These provide great protection against oxidation and resilient coverage even in adverse conditions. Most people prefer synthetic grease because of this attribute.
Additives
To meet some special needs, additives are added to grease to enhance it; enabling it to work excellently in particular situations. Additives come in different forms, but there is one common type known as molybdenum disulfide. The addictive offers grease the power to resist extreme pressure applications. You will find this additive in EP grease.
Thickeners
While the base oil helps to boost the reliability of grease, viscosity also matters. This is the main reason grease should have a thickener that doesn’t allow it to disperse easily. Most manufacturers use soap as thickeners. Lithium is a thickener that will enable base oils, additives, and other parts to bond better and act efficiently to create reliable grease.
As you can see, it’s important to consider each element before buying your grease. There are multiple kinds of applications and environments, the same way there are different brands and types of grease that are suitable for these conditions and machinery. As a result, good grease should work best for you and your machines.
