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.
Why use Pre-Formed Thickeners?
- No water to Remove
- 4 hours to make Grease (Li12)
- Lower Manufacturing Costs
- Improved Accuracy and Consistency
- Superior Batch Uniformity
- Suitable for Heat Sensitive Vegetable Oils and Esters
- NSF HX-1
Blachford Pre-formed Thickeners
Blachford offers a wide range of grease pre-formed thickener products for various applications. What follows is a list of these products.
- Lithium 12-Hydroxystearate (Low dusting)
- Lithium 12-Hydroxystearate HX 1 – (Listed by NSF International #163792)
- Lithium Stearate (CALFORD® G-200)
- Sodium Stearate
- Calcium 12 Hydroxystearate
- Aluminum Complex (CALFORD® ALX 8400, CALFORD® ALX 8418)
- Polyurea (CALFORD® PG-100)
Resources
Download the Reference Guide here!
Learn about the new Lithium 12 HX-1
Download the Lithium Grease Formulation Guide here!
Have a question?
Please email us or refer to our Grease Additives Reference Guide.