Oil-Free, Fully Synthetic Tube Bending Lubricants

IRMCO GEL and IRMCO EXTREME oil-free, fully synthetic tube-bending lubricants revolutionized the mandrel tube-bending industry more than two decades ago. Prior to the creation of these exceptionally clean-running, minimally applied bending lubricants – oils, fatty pastes, greases and chlorinated paraffin-containing products were the norm. The creation of IRMCO GEL and IRMCO EXTREME eliminated the hazard of fluids or viscous materials weeping or flying out of tubes handled by operators or robots. Not only are these products clean running and minimally applied, but they also can be welded through very cleanly, without contributing to weld porosity or excessive, burned on residues.

When selecting the most suitable IRMCO tube-bending lubricant for your operation, one should consider the metal substrate of the tube (mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminized stainless steel, etc.) as well as the material the mandrel tooling and wipers are constructed of (stainless steel, aluminum-bronze, polished chrome, etc.). The method of application of the bending lubricant must also be considered. IRMCO developed specialized application equipment to optimize IRMCO EXTREME and IRMCO GEL delivery through the mandrel, while some benders feed liquid lubricants through the mandrel. For liquid applications, IRMCO FLUIDS product lines offer appropriate solutions. IRMCO tube-bending lubricants are used the world-over for automotive OEM emission and exhaust systems, HVAC, fluid and gas transfer and numerous other tube-bending applications.

The IRMCO mandrel tube-bending lubricants include:

IRMCO EXTREME® 460 SERIES: oil-free, fully synthetic, mandrel bending lubricant intended for delivery through the mandrel or to be applied manually as necessary. IRMCO EXTREME products were specifically designed for bending aluminized stainless steel tube applications, especially in the manufacture of OEM automotive emission / exhaust system production.

IRMCO GEL® 980 SERIES: oil-free, fully synthetic, mandrel bending lubricant intended for delivery through the mandrel or to be applied manually as necessary. IRMCO 980 GEL products are best suited for uncoated stainless steel and mild steel tube bending applications and certain specialty or exotic alloy (Inconel, titanium) bending applications.

IRMCO GEL® 986: oil-free, fully synthetic mandrel bending lubricant intended for delivery through the mandrel or to be applied manually as necessary. IRMCO GEL 986 is a specialty product designed to replace older generation, chlorinated paraffin-containing, oil-based products and for use in larger tube diameter bending applications (up to 8” diameter) of mild and uncoated stainless steels.