FUCHS Develops Non-PFAS Based Alternative to PTFE Containing Lubricants

FUCHS is pleased to announce the release of the RHEOLUBE 460P series, a line of PAO greases thickened with lithium soap and non-PFAS based additives that offer similar or improved performance compared to lubricants containing PTFE additives. This comes after a ramp up in regulations proposed to limit or ban PFAS across nearly all manufacturing sectors.

“Non-PFAS based lubricants are not new. Many chemistries and additives are inherently free of PFAS and FUCHS has offered these for years. What is new is the non-PFAS based alternatives to fluorinated lubricants,” remarked Dr. Amanda Stubbs, an R&D Group Lead of Grease at FUCHS Lubricants Company.

Fluorinated lubricants have been historically used in extreme environments requiring advanced protection against wear, high temperatures, and chemical degradation. “Replicating the performance of PFPE and PTFE chemistries with non-PFAS material is challenging, but FUCHS has been hard at work developing alternatives for our most popular fluorinated products,” noted Dr. Stubbs.

The RHEOLUBE 460P series contains next generation additive technology for advanced lubricity and is recommended as a non-PFAS based alternative to PTFE-containing lubricants for the automotive industry.

This product was developed in close collaboration with customers who had previously used PTFE-containing lubricants to ensure that there was no loss in performance. The RHEOLUBE 460P series offers comparable performance to PTFE-containing lubricants and even improved performance in several key areas, including improved friction reduction, low temperature performance, and oil separation. This is the first of several planned non-PFAS based alternatives from FUCHS.