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“Greases for vacuum” Product Brochure

The brochure provides information about “Fluotribo VAC,” fluorinated grease designed for lubrication in vacuum environment, and “Spacelube series,” cyclopentane oil based grease with excellent resistance to friction, wear and radiation.

For more information, please contact us using the form
on our"Contact Us"page.

Newly developed “Ultrahigh Vacuum Lubricants” (Introduced at Innovation Japan 2011)

Kyodo Yushi developed grease and lubricating oil for ultrahigh vacuum applications. They are formulated with carefully selected ionic liquid, an effective alternative to fluorinated oil and cyclopentane oil, which have been used as base oil for vacuum lubricants but known to have some drawbacks.

The total mass loss (TML) of the newly developed lubricants is equal to or lower than 1.0 %, which means they meet the TML criterion used by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Their other merits include the same level of low-temperature viscosity at -40°C as fluorine-based lubricants, good gamma radiation resistance, and as good friction and wear properties as cyclopentane oil based lubricants. We work with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) toward practical use of these lubricants. It is expected that the technology is not just for space applications but will also be used for other vacuum applications such as semiconductor and LCD manufacturing equipment.

For the research and development of the ultrahigh vacuum lubricants, we were chosen from among general public entries for the award of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project implemented by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Kyodo Yushi presented this technology at “Innovation Japan 2011” held at Tokyo International Forum from 21 to 22 September, 2011.

Spacelube - Space grease of new composition based on cyclopentane oil
Grease to be used in space environment or under high vacuum is required to have low vapour pressure. Spacelube uses multiply-alkylated cyclopentane (MAC) as base oil. MAC, or more commonly called cyclopentane, has extremely low vapour pressure compared to many other types of synthetic hydrocarbon oil. Spacelube has excellent wear/friction resistance characteristics, outstanding radiation resistance and low outgassing characteristics, all of which are essential requirements for use in space environment. Following the successful completion of the two-year verification test on experimental systems of SERVIS-1 by Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF) for New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Spacelube was adopted for use in the paddle drive mechanism of bus system for Venus Climate Orbiter “Akatsuki (Planet-C)” on its launch on May 21, 2010. With a proven track record in JAXA and other space projects, Spacelube is expected to expand its application to many other space and high vacuum equipment experiencing technological problems with fluorinated grease, as well as to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other vacuum equipment.

FR Grease - Flame retardant grease for centralised system by new formulation and new manufacturing process
From a fire-safety standpoint, resistance to ignition or spread of fire is recently becoming an important requirement of grease for industrial machinery applications. FR Grease we developed for centralised system can retard fire spread without compromising the lubricity. For the creation of FR Grease, base oil and additives were selected according to strict criteria with an emphasis on the property to prevent generation of combustible gas at high temperature, and a new manufacturing process was developed to ensure flame retardancy of the grease. FR Grease was developed based on our new finding that control of combustible gas generation is an effective way to put out flame when grease catches fire. Self-extinguishing FR Grease can provide safe operating environment for industrial machines where fire potential is a concern.

Kyodo Yushi vacuum grease, “Spacelube”

Kyodo Yushi grease is on board space apparatus flying at 1,000 km altitude.

Kyodo Yushi “Spacelube” is used for the next-generation paddle drive mechanism for the Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System (SERVIS) operated by Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF).

For vacuum applications, fluorinated grease has been most commonly used, but “Spacelube” is formulated with special oil as a superior alternative to fluorinated oil. “Spacelube” offers equivalent vapour pressure characteristics and better lubricity as compared with fluorinated grease.

More information can be found by visiting USEF website. They have a page on the Advanced Paddle Drive Mechanism (APDM) (only in Japanese).
The picture was provided by USEF.