Environmentally Friendly Large-Diameter Tube-Bending Gel

With new regulations restricting or eliminating chlorinated paraffin as an ingredient in metalforming fluids, the challenge has been to develop products safe for the environment and for worker exposure. To that end, Irmco has developed Gel 986-00D, its first product in a new line of tube-bending products to address the changing regulations and markets that have previously relied on products containing chlorinated paraffins.

Irmco Gel 986-00D has proven successful in tube bending of Type 304, 409 and 439 stainless steels as large as 8-in. dia. Some successes also have been realized on smaller-diameter aluminized stainless-steel tube-bending applications to 4-in. dia.

The lubricant contains no mineral oil, pigments or clays, no PTFE, and no chlorine, zinc, boron, phosphorous, or sulfur-based EP or AW additives. It can be applied through the mandrel or manually swabbed onto tubes, and demonstrates excellent cling. This characteristic keeps shop floors cleaner, and in many cases provides enough lubrication for end-forming/expanding applications.

Irmco: www.irmco.com

See also: IRMCO

Technologies: Bending, Lubrication

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