Case Study: Grease for ControlAir Ventilators
Application: Lip Seal/Regulator
Location: USA
Challenge
The United States federal government tasked NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to design a mass-producible ventilator device that could be built with "off the shelf" parts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The design was completed by JPL Engineers in April 2020 and was released to twenty manufacturers all over the world. ControlAir, a worldwide leading manufacturer of precision pneumatic and electro pneumatic control products, was one of the first manufacturers rewarded with a contract. The dynamic lip seal within the device's two regulators needed to be lubricated and ControlAir, Inc needed the grease quickly to stay ahead of their production schedule.
- Can we provide a ventilator grease in time to accommodate the manufacturer’s critical production schedule?
Solution
UNIFLOR™ 8612
A stiff, PTFE thickened, medium viscosity, completely fluorinated grease.
- Very wide temperature capability
- Excellent plastic, elastomer, and oxygen compatibility
- Resists aggressive chemicals.
| Product | Chemistry | Temperature Range | Oil Separation (22 hrs @ 150°) | Evaporation (22 hrs @ 150°) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIFLOR 8612 | PFPE/PTFE | -20 to 250 °C | 3 % | 0.3 % |
Results
Our grease, UNIFLOR™ 8612, was specified by ControlAir to lubricate the dynamic lip seal within the regulators of the ventilator device. ControlAir was extremely pleased with our rapid response, with the project lead saying, “After a brief exchange with the production team, they let us know they were shipping product the very next day, weeks ahead of schedule. I have used their lubricants at my current and previous employers, and they always seem to have the answers.
