Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Improved Friction Control / Driveability for Zinc Plated Bolts
Q. I need a chemical product to improve drivability in bolts. The selected product would not cosmetically alter yellow chromated zinc plate. So far wax-based products have been used with success but flaking-off of wax during driving of bolts is causing quality problems and clean-up concerns. Any ideas?
Mike McDonald- Jefferson, Wisconsin
1998
A. Why don't you try the standard Teflon spray found in a hardware store?
Jerry Paglia1998
Q. Thanks for the input, Jerry.I'll check that out.
The spray itself would not be feasible, as this application is for over 100,000 pounds of bolts per month, but maybe Teflon is the answer.
Thanks,
Mike
- Jefferson, Wisconsin
1998
Mike,
You may want Macdermid Torque - N - Tension Control Fluid. It is used extensively on European auto specs , and in the U.S. on nails.
Ray
Ray Delorey- Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
1998
Q. Thank you, Ray, but the MacDermid Torque & Tension was ineffective. Any other suggestions would be eagerly accepted.
Mike McDonald- Jefferson, Wisconsin
1998
A. Mike:
There is a product that Opel uses to improve the lubricity and corrosion resistance on zinc plate. The product Deltacoll is available in black and clear and has two different levels of lubricity. For example, Deltacoll GZ has a friction coefficient of about 0.10 (per DIN 946). Zinc plate is about twice this figure. The product can be applied to fasteners in bulk.
Edward KonecznyBirmingham, Michigan
1998
A. Hi Ed,
There is a product called RO 59 distributed by Canning Gumm (previously Frederick Gumm Chemical and soon to be MacDermid) which is sold for this purpose. You may want to check that out.
Randy Di Sano- Smithfield, Rhode Island
1999
A. MIKE,
I WORKED ON A PROJECT FOR ITW, SELF TAPPING SCREWS. THE TEST WE HAD TO PASS, WAS ONE OF THESE SCREWS ATTACHED TO A HIGH SPEED DRILL, FORCED DIRECTLY INTO A 1/4" PLATE. THE COATING THAT PASSED WAS MECHANICAL ZINC WITH A PTFE INCLUSION, THEN COLORED GREEN.
RAY DELOREY- CAMBRIDGE ONTARIO CANADA
1999
A. Mike, If you are still in search of a product, Specialty Gleitmo G-3 is a dispersion of white solid lubricants applied to fasteners.
Kindly,
Bob Griffiths- Monroe, North Carolina
1999
A. Hello Mike! I guess you already solved this problem but in case not I would not recommend the Gleitmo G-3 since this is a medium friction dry wax for standard screws/nuts. Gives a total friction of 0,12-0,16 on "normal" surfaces. It will NOT survive the loads when forming a thread. The only product we have that is reasonably cheap in mass production applications and also is dry is another wax called Gleitmo 627. This one is also approved for thread pressing screws by Volvo and SAAB. All thread pressing applications are, at least in my experience, more or less critical to lubricate with dry wax films so I would not give any guarantees. Anyway, 627 is the best shot, be very careful with maintaining good wetting properties when coating. Best Regards /
Sven Berlander- Gothenburg, Sweden
1999
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Ed. note: We've included the names of all products which people recommended, but we have deleted the "testimonials" where they claim their product is superior to their named competitors. Experience has shown that this invariably leads to ever-longer spams and even phony testimonials from "satisfied customers".
Q. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM MIKE MCDONALD WHAT HE DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE Macdermid TORQUE N TENSION CONTROL FLUID. SOMEONE RECOMMENDED THIS TO ME TO REDUCE FRICTION BETWEEN A ZINC COATED PART AND NYLON MATERIAL.
MARY O'DONNELL- WINSTON SALEM, North Carolina
2002
A. Blends of polymers have been around for a long time but do not give a tight enough range of CoF. It's probably because they are not stable over time. Atmospheric moisture and other factors can change CoF over time. High density polymers or heat activated products that "cure" and crosslink are better alternatives.
Martin Straus- Elk Grove Village, Illinois
January 23, 2010
Friction control on zinc-plated bolts
Q. Hello,
We are having trouble to control the friction on zinc chloride plated bolts. During torque-tension tests we are having huge scattering in values (from .12 to .28). Is it normal? is there any major factor to control during the plating process besides using friction modifiers? Right now trying to concentrate on chromate by keeping highest concentration and lowest pH. All the other parameters are according our vendor. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot for your help.
finishing devision engineer - Wisconsin
June 16, 2015
June 17, 2015
Q. Elsewhere on this great site you will find
www.finishing.com/584/01.shtml
where there is a short discussion thereupon. Many metal finishing suppliers supply waxes (typically, but not always aqueous) to improve the lubricity of plated nuts, bolts, and washers. This is a 'best practice' that many customers don't want to pay for.
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