Grease Pre-Formed Thickeners

Pre-formed thickeners are used to thicken oil into grease in what is sometimes known as a ‘dry process’ and offer tremendous advantages in being able to make grease faster, more accurately and with less energy. In conventional grease making (or the ‘in-situ’ process), fatty acids and metal oxides are typically reacted within the oil to create the soap that thickens the grease. The soap reaction creates large quantities of water which must be evaporated using heat and time before the grease can thicken.

Blachford’s pre-formed thickeners (or soaps) are manufactured separately. During that process, all of the water is removed, so when they are added to the oil, the grease can be thickened much faster and with less total energy because that water does not need to be driven off. These pre-formed thickener technologies also allow for much more grease batch to batch consistency because the soaps are made under controlled and accurate conditions.