Interflon's advanced lubricant technology is unique in the marketplace.
What is MicPol?
Table of Contents
What is MicPol®?
Benefits of MicPol®
MicPol® repels water
How big is a micron?
What is polarization?
What is a Falex?
What is a foot-pound?
What is friction?
What is MicPol®?
MicPol® is the signature technology in Interflon products. Developed in-house by our own team of scientists, MicPol® is what makes our products stand out from all others. MicPol®:
- allows our lubricants far stronger adhesion than ordinary lubricants
- gives our products their excellent lubricating properties
- gives our products unparalleled penetrating action and creeping ability
So, how does it all work?
MicPol® stands for micronization and polarization. The solid lubrication particles in our products are micronized, meaning that they are reduced to a tiny diameter of between .01 to .03 microns. This is what allows them to penetrate every tiny crack, crevice, and pore on the surface of an object. You cannot see these cracks with the naked eye, but MicPol® fills them and eliminates the resistance they would otherwise offer to anything moving over the surface.
Next, the particles are polarized. This gives them a negative charge. When they connect with the positively-charged particles on a surface, they will form an electrostatic. This is a much stronger bond than most lubricants offer. Ordinary lubricants are easily washed off, for example by a high-pressure water hose, or thrown off by the rapid movement of a chain aroun d a gear.
Interflon products with MicPol® will resist even a high-pressure salt water spray, and once dry they will not be flung off by even the most rapid or repetitive of movements. They will also withstand great extremes of pressure and temperature. In general, they will last on surfaces up to ten times longer than other lubricants.
So, it’s these two unique properties--micronization and polarization--that make MicPol® so effective.
What are the benefits of MicPol®?
Because Interflon products with MicPol®️ reduce friction so much better than conventional oils and greases, the result is:
- you don’t need to lubricate your machines as often
- they use less energy
- machine parts last longer.
This is Interflon’s mission: to save our customers money on energy, maintenance, and replacement. We’ve been doing this since 1980!
Water Doesn’t Stand a Chance
The other major benefit of MicPol® is that it prevents water from touching the surface of whatever it is applied to. Because MicPol® forms a solid barrier, water cannot get through. Corrosion is therefore prevented, because without water, there is no rust. MicPol® also causes the dispersal of water that may already be present, for example in a gearbox or other enclosed area. It will not emulsify with existing moisture droplets.
If your area is served by a Technical Assistant (TA), ask them for an in-store demonstration of how MicPol® works. They’ll show you on the spot! Check our website to see if your state is served by a TA.
Case Study
Grimme DR1500 Harvester Bearings
Below is a Grimme DR1500 Harvester, which sees a great deal of use during potato harvesting season:
Grimme DR1500 Harvester
Below are images of the cylindrical bearings used in this harvester after Falex testing.
This bearing was lubricated with an ordinary petrochemical lubricant. It shows deep wear and must be replaced.
This bearing was lubricated with MicPol, and shows only slight signs of wear.
On the bearing that was using another lubricant, you can see deep wear, which would be enough to cause the bearing to fail. On the bearing that was using Interflon with MicPol®, you can plainly see with the naked eye how much wear has been reduced. The bearings are still fully functional and will not need to be replaced in the middle of the harvest, resulting in a savings of time and money, and possibly also saving the harvester from damage related to bearing failure.
The same effects can be observed consistently in all the various types of equipment in which Interflon products are used. We are confident that once you try Interflon products with MicPol®, you will be convinced. Our products really do save businesses time and money.
Yet another benefit of MicPol® is its dielectric properties. When something is dielectric, that means it acts as an insulator. It will not conduct a charge. Interflon products like Fin Super or Food Lube can be applied directly to electrical contacts. It will protect wires from corrosion, and it will allow the electrical current to flow unimpeded.
How big is a micron?
A micron is one millionth of a meter. That’s already pretty small, but MicPol particles are up to one hundred times smaller than that!
To put this in perspective:
- A human hair is about 50 microns in diameter.
- A white blood cell is about 25 microns in diameter.
- Bacteria is typically about 2 microns in diameter.
In this image, a single particle of MicPol® would be about 200 times smaller than the circle representing the size of bacteria. In other words, there’s no point including it, because it would be invisible.
The smallest thing the human eye can see is about 40 microns. Anything smaller than that is considered microscopic, because the only way you can see it is with a microscope!
This is why MicPol® is so effective… because its tiny size allows it to fill all the miniscule irregularities present on every surface and make them as smooth as possible. The smoother the surface, the less friction will occur.
What is polarization?
Polarization is the process of aligning the poles of a particle. When the polarization process has been completed, each tiny particle of MicPol® has a negative charge.
As you may remember from science class, opposites attract. A negatively-charged particle will be attracted to a positively-charged one.
Compare this to a typical oil or grease, which does not bond with a surface at all but instead simply coats it. Oils and greases that rely on viscosity are very sticky to the touch, and are easily removed by friction or centripetal force. They also break down more quickly under high pressure or high temperatures.
What is a Falex?
Falex is the name of a company that manufactures lubricity testers. They are the most widely-used devices in the industry for measuring how many foot-pounds of force a lubricant can perform under. A Falex will measure the amount of force, in foot-pounds, that a lubricant can withstand.
A Falex works very simply: a mechanical arm presses down on a rotating drum that is covered in the lubricant to be tested. The person doing the testing will keep adding weight on this arm little by little. As she does so, a scale will show the amount of energy in foot-pounds that is being applied to the drum. As long as she doesn’t hear the sound of metal on metal, the lubricant is working. She will then keep adding weight until she does hear metal on metal, at which point the lubricant can be said to have “failed”. She can then simply look at the scale to determine how much energy had to be applied to get the lubricant to stop working.
For more information on Falex testing devices, please visit Falex.com
What is a foot-pound?
A foot-pound is a unit of energy. It’s the amount of energy required to lift one pound a distance of one foot.
Foot-pound can also refer to torque. Torque is the amount of force required to twist something.
Remember that a foot-pound is not a unit of weight! This can be confusing, because it sounds like it should be. You would not measure an object’s mass in foot-pounds. However, you might measure how much energy is required to lift that same object in foot-pounds.
What is friction?
Friction is the force that one object encounters when it is sliding over another object. Objects with rough surfaces offer more friction than objects with smoother surfaces. When you’re talking about machine components that need to work smoothly, friction is a force that needs to be minimized as much as possible. Lubrication is the way this is accomplished.
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