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Oil Free Stamping Lubricants

oil-free lubricantHIGH PERFORMANCE OIL FREE STAMPING LUBRICANTS

Oil Free Stamping Lubricants
IRMCO FLUIDS® high-performance metal forming fluids are oil-free alternatives to oil and/or animal fat-based and pigmented paste lubricants. Exhaustively tested in laboratory and field production processes, IRMCO FLUIDS has demonstrated the ability to replace chlorinated paraffin-based and other, conventional, straight and emulsifiable oil-based stamping lubricants in severe stamping and forming processes. We are your trusted oil-free stamping lubricants supplier!

Since 1914, IRMCO and our global partners have been providing innovative oil-free stamping lubricant solutions to metal stamping and tube bending industries including appliances, automotive, and lawn and garden.

All IRMCO metal-forming fluids can be applied manually or via automated roller and spray applicators. Great success has been achieved using UNIST® and Industrial Innovations’ SPRAY-RITE® applicators. HYDROBLEND® and “venturi-type” proportioning mixers are effective ways to control the blending of IRMCO FLUIDS for use in the field. All IRMCO FLUIDS stamping lubricants are easily blended with water manually or via HYDROBLEND & “venturi-type” chemical-proportioning pumps and larger, central-mixing systems. Our oil-free stamping lubricants can be applied manually, but are optimally applied via automated spray, roller, and MQL applicator systems. Automated systems provide for the most consistent control of fluid concentration and protection for your parts & tooling. Your IRMCO representative can help you determine the optimal process controls for your needs.

IRMCO FLUIDS® PRODUCT SERIES

  • 080-SERIES: medium to heavy-duty drawing and stamping of mild steels, stainless steels, and aluminum. Primary product group recommended for aluminum stamping/forming. Also finds utility in select tube-bending applications.
  • 090-SERIES: medium to heavy-duty drawing and stamping of mild steel and aluminum. Primary substrates are ferrous. Also finds utility in select tube-bending applications.
  • 109-SERIES: economical, light to medium-duty drawing and stamping of mild, high-strength, and porcelain enameling steels.
  • 146-SERIES: heavy-duty drawing and stamping of mild and high-strength steels. Some products are compatible with galvannealed steel and stainless steel.
  • 313-SERIES: medium to heavy duty drawing and stamping of mild steels and zinc coated (galvanized and galvannealed) steels. This group of products was developed for use on zinc-coated steels.
  • 323-SERIES: economical, light to medium duty drawing and stamping of mild steels and some high-strength steels. Also finds utility in select tube-bending applications.
  • 536-SERIES: medium to severe duty drawing and stamping fluids – heavily fortified with EP additives. Excellent for stainless, mild, and high-strength steel.

Benefits of IRMCO FLUIDS

  

OPTIMIZED APPLICATION: IRMCO FLUIDS provide a highly protective, high-performance micro-layer of lubricating film during demanding to stamp and forming applications. This attribute translates to lower volumes of lubricant required to protect tooling and production parts – optimizing process economy and efficiency. IRMCO FLUIDS are easily applied via conventional roller and spray applicators and form stable, true solutions in water. Being water-based, IRMCO FLUIDS are miscible in all dilutions, mixing easily with chemical proportioning pumps.

REDUCED TOOLING COST & DOWNTIME: IRMCO FLUIDS provide optimal protection for tooling surfaces and parts – reducing wear and downtime related to maintenance. The improvements to tool life result in increased efficiencies and line speeds.

 

CLEAN RUNNING: As IRMCO FLUIDS do not contain oil – they offer improved part cleanliness and weld-through capability over straight oil and emulsifiable, oil-based chemistries and pigmented emulsions. In many instances, pretreatment process bath life can be increased over oil-based lubricants and cleaning temperatures and pH can be reduced – saving energy and improving safety.

FINISHING PROCESS COMPATIBLE: The lower loading characteristic of IRMCO metal-forming fluids in pretreatment baths reduces sludge and scale formation compared to oil-containing stamping fluids. Less scale and sludge formation extend pump and heat exchanger life and reduce maintenance associated with “boil-outs” and blocked spray nozzles. As less temperature is needed to remove IRMCO FLUIDS® from surfaces – they are more compatible with transition metal coating (TMC) processes and low-temperature or conventional iron and zinc phosphates. IRMCO fluids are very compatible with aqueous immersion, spray, and ultrasonic cleaning. Automotive e-coat, powder paint, and porcelain enameling surface pretreatment processes can all be optimized using IRMCO stamping fluids.

In addition to the benefits above, our oil-free stamping lubricants provide the following:

  • Contain no mineral oil and are fully water miscible.
  • Can often be welded through without prior removal *
  • Are compatible with most MQL-type application processes – leading to lower consumption & chemical waste.
  • Very compatible with conventional chemical proportioning and mixing systems.
  • Are more compliant with maintaining ISO 14001 directives.
  • Run cleaner than straight-oil and emulsifiable-oil stamping fluids – reducing housekeeping time and expenses.
  • The cleaner operation allows for quicker, more efficient part inspection.

Our global team strives to surpass our client’s expectations and provide tangible, lasting business and environmental value. Contact us today to learn more about our oil-free stamping lubricants capabilities.

  
     
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