Manufacturing Technology

For founder and CEO of Lubo International, Peter de Bruine, this cooperation is a confirmation of the effectiveness and product quality of Lubo. “We have developed Lubo Lubricant to completely eliminate the problem of galling and the need of using mounting paste or other forms of grease.

The occurrence of galling or cold welding is a well-known problem in the stainless steel fastener business. “When stainless steel bolts are tightened, pressure between the thread contact surfaces can break down the protective oxide layer, increasing friction and generating sufficient heat to momentarily ‘weld’ the surfaces together,” explains Peter. “A repeated locking and tearing action further increases adhesion, in some cases to the point that the threads seize completely. To avoid seizing, and high cost of repair, all kinds of mounting paste or greases are put on the fasteners.”
Peter continues: “Traditionally, purchasers buy lots of these installation pastes but are not aware of the high waste of man hours. End users however are frustrated since they have to grease fasteners, clean tooling and machines, and in the worst case repair galling problems. Moreover, they are limited in the installation speed because the use of power tools causes higher friction and a higher risk of galling.”

Lubo Lubricant can be added to bolts in a fixed, dry state whilst having a stainless steel look and feel. At the moment the lubricated bolt is subject to mounting friction, Lubo melts and lubricates the bolt. After cooling down, Lubo will return to its fixed, dry state ready for its next job.

“Thanks to Lubo Lubricant’s unique capabilities, galling is completely prevented and users will not have to grease, clean or repair anymore,” states Peter. “On top of that, they can mount at higher speed using power tools. Real life experiences show that these savings of man hours easily subsidise more than half the price of the fasteners.” 

Due to its innovative capabilities Lubo has been nominated for the prestigious Technishow innovation award 2016 in the Netherlands. The Lubo Lubricant is also FDA compliant, which enables it to be used in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

“The strategic cooperation with WASI underlines the capabilities of Lubo and is a true recognition of all the efforts and hard work of the staff at Lubo International,” concludes Peter. “WASI is a stainless steel expert and a well established global market player. It has carried out multiple tests on Lubo Lubricant and all of them have been positive. Not only do these test show Lubo to be economical and fit for a broad range of applications, they also led to WASI stating that the Lubo Lubricant is THE solution to galling problems.”