Your equipment, machinery, and other assets are crucial for work every day. Whether your business is related to automobiles, heavy-duty transportation, agriculture, or even construction, the smooth running of your machinery is essential. It’s an investment that must be protected. This is where Petro-Canada Lubricants come in.
Petro-Canada is a recognized market leader when it comes to trustworthy lubricants and has spent over 40 years researching, manufacturing, and developing top-notch products used in various industries like agriculture, construction, and transportation.
The company also works to manufacture fine-quality base oils, making use of the HT Purity process, with which sparkling base oils are extracted with 99.9% purity. Then comes the addition of unique ingredients to make high-performing lubricants that work to protect machinery.
Petro-Canada strives for three main things, and its line of lubricants is proof of that.
These are:
- Increasing productivity
- Reducing the downtime of the machinery
- Lowering maintenance costs to ensure savings.
What Is A Lubricant?
A lubricant is a substance used to minimize friction between two or more surfaces and reduce wear and tear. Despite their use being quite simple, lubricants come in many types. Below are the four most famous kinds of lubricants available and when you need to use them.
1. Dry Lubricants
You might already be familiar with dry lubricants. These are often used to relieve the hinges of creaking doors. Dry lubricants are combined with alcohol, water, and other solvents and are commonly available in a spray form. The solvents used in the mixture are volatile; they escape into the air and leave behind a layer of lubrication.
Dry lubricants are composed of lubricating agents, such as PTFE, graphite, and silicone, and work to make a slippery barrier between surfaces to prevent friction. Dry lubricants are suitable to use when you want to lubricate smaller surfaces without making them excessively greasy or avoid attracting contaminants and debris. You can also use dry lubricants for parts that are constantly in contact with high heat or pressure since that oxidizes grease or oil. Common uses of dry lubricants include 3D printer rails, threaded rods, and locks.
However, dry lubricants should not be used for parts in contact with other solvents that might remove the lubricant.
2. Grease
The consistency of grease is thicker than oils because of the mixture of oils and thickeners such as lithium-based soaps. Thickeners give grease their signature characteristics of sticking onto parts better.
Due to the added thickness, grease can work as an excellent barrier that protects parts from potential pollutants that can damage the surface. However, the thickness can be troublesome in some cases since it can add to the resistance in the nooks and crannies of swift mechanisms.
Considering the characteristics of grease, you can use it when you need a lubricant that sticks firmly to machinery parts, or you want to keep away exterior particles like dirt and water. You can also use it on machines that are rarely used and are usually kept away. Grease is commonly used as a lubricant in linkages, chains, gears, and bearings.
Keeping in mind its thickness, grease should not be used for the mechanism of a swift machine since it would hinder its movement. Similarly, avoid using it if you want to keep a surface dry and clean since grease is really sticky.
3. Oils
Oils are thin liquids made of continuous polymer chains. They include additives to enhance and bring out further properties. For instance, antioxidants can be added to prevent the oxidation of oil, corrosion inhibitors can be used to stop the oil from corroding the different parts of your machinery, and detergents can be added to avoid the settling of the deposits. As a result, oil can function as a lubricant.
You can use oil as a lubricant when you just want lubrication without any force of resistance. Similarly, you can use it when you don’t want to open parts and potentially damage them. Instead, you can just pour in a bit of lubrication through the narrow space. A few standard oils can be used as lubricants in restoring blade sharpness, maintaining tools, and hinges and bearings.
However, oil is not the ideal choice for lubrication for parts that are subjected to dirt or dust. Using oils for such pacers can cause dirt clumping, which can, in turn, increase friction. Oil is also not suitable as a lubricant for parts that must stay clean. This is because oils are runny liquids and won’t fulfil the purpose.
4. Penetrating Oils
Penetrating oil is another unique lubricant that can easily get into stuck-bolt combatants and clear up accumulated dirt or rust. Such lubricants are known for their low viscosity and are specially made to penetrate the narrow openings between surfaces. Penetrating oils instantly lubricate the surfaces and get rid of the rust build-up.
Penetrating oil should be used as a lubricant when you want to remove many years’ worth of debris build-up in a short time. However, it is not suitable for use when you want lubrication to last for longer.
Get Petro-Canada Lubricants Delivered Today
Petro-Canada produces some of the finest and purest lubricants, and with its extensive list of products, you are sure to find one easily. At Bird Fuels, we stock a range of premium-quality lubricants, including (but not limited to):
- Aviation and automotive lubricants
- Greases
- Food-grade lubricants
- Industrial oils
- Synthetic lubricants
- Specialty lubricants
- Marine and Rail lubricants.
The right lubricants can go a long way in making your equipment more efficient, thereby increasing your ROI. Plus, they ensure you get the most out of the life of your machinery and keep everything working at its best.
So, if you’re unsure of which lubricant you need, Bird Fuels is here to help.
Just let us know the equipment you’re working with, and we’ll list all the best lubricant solutions you can opt for. To know more about Petro-Canada lubricants, get in touch with our customer support team today.
