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Hi-T-Lube®

A High-Technology “Synergistic” Coating That Dramatically Prevents Friction, Galling and Wear – Even at Critical Temperature Extremes

Although HI-T-LUBE “synergistic” coatings were used to solve performance

problems troubling critical metal parts on NASA’s space vehicles, engineers

worldwide soon recognized them as the solution to “down to earth” problems

encountered by all types of manufacturing, processing, and packaging

equipment.

Magnaplate applied HI-T-LUBE, listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the

world’s “slipperiest” solid (with a COF of 0.03), is created in a proprietary,

multi-step process. It maintains excellent lubricity over a variety of temperature

extremes and withstands extremely high compression loads. HI-T-LUBE also

remains unchanged in high vacuum

applications. Unlike conventional

lubricants, it will not outgas or

accumulate in unloaded areas. Its

dimensions can be controlled so that

critical fits and exact clearances are

maintained. Since the newly created

surface of the part is superior in

performance, both to the substrate

metal or to any of the individual

engineering polymers or other

components used in the process, HI-T-

LUBE is identified as “synergistic.”

The selection of which polymers

are used is based on many factors,

including: end-use application of the

part, its base metal, the kind of hostile

environments to which it might be

exposed, and the coating buildup

permitted.

BENEFITS

• Recognized by The Guinness

Book of Records for the Lowest

COF of Any Solid (0.03)

• Can operate in vacuums of 10-7

Torr

• Prevents abrasive wear and

galling

• Will not outgas in space

environments

• Withstands up to 200 hrs salt

spray at .001” thickness

• Excellent adherence to base

metals, regardless of changes in

temperature or environment

• Withstands sliding and

rolling loading at high/low

temperature extremes

• Vibration stable from 28G rms

to 85G peak rms

• Permanently dry self-lubricating

for extended wear

• Compatible with hydrocarbons

and synthetic lubricants

• Control of coating thickness is

+/-.0003 at .001”

Pictured here is a small selection of the

huge number of different types of sliding

or mating parts which exhibit dramatic

improvements in their performance

properties after being treated with a

Magnaplate applied HI-T-LUBE coating.

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AN EXPLANATION OF HOW HI-T-LUBE’S PATENTED MATRIX CONSTRUCTION WORKS Each individual layer of the matrix in the diagram below offers beneficial

features, and collectively, upon final diffusion, they form a metallic/oxide matrix

that exceeds the qualities of any one of the elements alone.

HI-T-LUBE’s Patented Matrix Construction

Malleable, dry-lubricant layer

Hard, thin, oxide layer

Semi-soft, compressible, metal layer

Initial, hard, interface metal layer

Base metal

1. The base metal undergoes a proprietary pre-cleaning process. Special

provisions are made to avoid hydrogen embrittlement of the metal.

2. An extremely hard, proprietary coating is applied to the metallurgically

cleaned surface. This layer forms the critical interface and contributes to

the hardness of the total matrix structure.

3. A malleable layer is applied. It is composed of metals that provide HI-T-

LUBE with its high temperature resistance and exceptional compressive

properties.

4. A surface layer, composed of highly effective lubricants, is then applied.

5. The previously deposited layers are diffused in a controlled atmosphere

chamber.

ENGINEERING TEST DATA

High Loads and Temperatures. In application testing for jet engine use, HI-T-

LUBE proved its superiority under the most exacting conditions. In preliminary

thrust bearing tests — from room temperature up to 1000°F (538°C), using an

applied load of 1400 pounds rotating at 720 rpm and reversing direction every

three seconds — where conventional lubricants and combinations of materials

failed in less than five minutes, HI-T-LUBE performed effectively for three hours

(thirty-six times greater effectiveness). Additional verification of the uniqueness

of HI-T-LUBE appears in a report from an aircraft manufacturer’s Engineering

Dynamic Analysis Section: “...Further tests were run with other alloys and

other lubricants, however none could meet the exceedingly high loads and

temperatures achieved by the combination of Haynes Alloy 25 and HI-T-LUBE.”

Lowest Friction: The lowest

coefficient of static and dynamic

friction of any solid is 0.03, for

HI-T-LUBE with a burnished

exterior. The 0.03 result was

achieved by sliding HI-T-LUBE

against HI-T-LUBE.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

• Acme thread

• Aircraft parts of all types

• Ball joints

• Bearing surfaces

• Chains

• Engines

• Furnaces

• Gears

• Housings

• Impellers

• Nuts, bolts and screws

• Ovens

• Pistons

• Rings

• Rollers and roller bearings

• Shafts

• Splines

• Tenter frames

• Threads

• Torque measuring devices

• ...Plus any other sliding or

mating metal parts

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Permanence. In addition, the aircraft manufacturer’s report stated that: “...

when a second set of Haynes bushings was treated with General Magnaplate’s

HI-T-LUBE, the life was even further extended to 849 cycles. However, this

proprietary high temperature dry lubricant was tried on the bushing and also

the mating part of the lever and link into which the bushings were installed,

and the life cycles jumped up to 1302 cycles. This more than met the required

life span of the parts.” In another series of tests, HI-T-LUBE coated gears

outperformed untreated gears by up to 15 times under cryogenic conditions.

Torture Test. One of the nation’s leading actuator manufacturers applied

HI-T-LUBE on critical component parts of a high temperature ball screw

actuator used as a positioning device for the variable afterburner exhaust

nozzle on the J-85 jet engine. Typical components of the actuator, which

demanded an uncompromising lubricant to operate in a temperature range

of –65°F (–54°C) to +840°F (+449°C), were trunion and gimbal mechanisms,

sliding thrust rods, and highly loaded thrust bearings. Although re-lubrication

at 150-hour intervals was permissible on actual engine tests, more torturous

testing proved that HI-T-LUBE coated parts survived without re-lubrication for

up to 485 hours of test life.

Vibration. From the report on a HI-T-LUBE test of an actuator used on a new

high performance jet engine: “...during jitter- type cycles, the bearings are

subjected to extreme abuse in that the balls do not complete a revolution over

the bearing race and hence tax the lubricant in localized areas. We have not

had any thrust bearing failures where HI-T-LUBE was used on the actuator

applications, nor was there any reported failure of any other component part

where HI-T-LUBE was used.”

Adherence. The HI-T-LUBE “synergistic” coating becomes an integral part of

the load-bearing metal surface. It will not chip or rub off. It reduces wear and

increases the operating life of all metals. From the official report of an aircraft

engineer: “...bearing life was determined to be a function of material hardness,

tolerances and finish combined with the degree of positive lubrication offered

by HI-T-LUBE.”

High Vacuum. Unlike conventional coatings or lubricants, which generate

outgassing when subjected to high vacuums, HI-T-LUBE dry-film lubricant

coated instrument parts have successfully withstood outgassing problems at

10-7 Torr.

Parent Metal Substrates. HI-T-LUBE can be applied to virtually all metals

normally used where components are subject to high compressive force: steel,

stainless steel, copper, copper alloys, etc. It may also be successfully employed

on aluminum where that metal’s surface will withstand the compression forces

involved in the application.

A gear assembly is treated with two of

Magnaplate’s non-stick “synergistic”

surface enhancements, HI-T-LUBE and

NEDOX®, to prevent wear, sticking, and

galling.

HI-T-LUBE protects gears and shafts from

wear and galling.

HI-T-LUBE is recommended for use on

all types of gears and gear assemblies

to prevent abrasive wear under heavy

loads at both high and low temperature

extremes.

info@magnaplate.com T: 800 852 3301 F: 908 862 6110 www.magnaplate.com

FEDERAL AND INDUSTRIAL SPECIFICATIONS

HI-T-LUBE is currently employed in the manufacture of spacecraft, aircraft,

and missiles, as well as throughout the broad spectrum of manufacturing,

processing, and packaging industries.

It has received special recognition from NASA and the NJ Wing of the Air Force

Association, and is approved under specifications from such companies as Pratt

& Whitney, Lockheed Martin, DuPont, GE, RCA, IBM, Boeing, Fisher Controls,

Marotta Scientific, Perkin Elmer and Princeton University, to name just a few.

EXCERPT FROM THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, WHICH RECOGNIZES HI-T-LUBE AS THE WORLD’S “SLIPPERIEST” SOLID!“I put five materials together and composited them into a lubricant. It

worked the first time,” declared Dr. Charles P. Covino, the founder of General

Magnaplate and the inventor of HI-T-LUBE®.

HI-T-LUBE surface enhancement coating registers the lowest coefficient of

static and dynamic friction of any solid material in the world. HI-T-LUBE is

recognized as the world’s “slipperiest” solid by The Guinness Book Of World

Records.

Dr. Covino invented HI-T-LUBE in the early 1960’s and soon after he was con-

tacted by the US Air Force to investigate a series of accidents involving F105s.

Covino discovered that the speed brake pedals were constantly jamming. “The

pedals were cooking hot from exposure to the jet flame, then freezing when the

exhaust was opened and the air stream hit them. They would go immediately

from super-hot to sub-zero.” The inventor realized that

the solution was a new metal alloy that would take the

heat, swell up, then go back and compress quickly; his

recently invented HI-T-LUBE.

HI-T-LUBE also played a critical role in the space pro-

gram of the mid-1960s. NASA was faced with severe

problems. Its missions required on-board equipment

to function in the vacuum of space, an environment

where the use of conventional lubricants was impos-

sible. “They tried everything, including metals like

graphite and silver, but everything migrated once it

was in a high vacuum. The metals would actually grow whiskers, which would

then either jam moving parts or act as conductors and short out electronic

systems,” said Covino.

All types, shapes, and sizes of gear

assembly components are protected

against chemical attack, wear, and

galling by HI-T-LUBE.

HI-T-LUBE coating eliminates wear and

corrosion on various types of gears and

rings.

info@magnaplate.com T: 800 852 3301 F: 908 862 6110 www.magnaplate.com

HI-T-LUBE is applied to a huge variety of

parts used on NASA spacecraft, such as

the International Space Station (ISS), to

prevent corrosion, abrasive wear, and

galling in the harsh environment and

extreme temperatures of outer space.

Thousands of critical parts on USAF jet

fighters and other aircraft are treated

with HI-T-LUBE to prevent wear caused by

abrasion and corrosion. It also eliminates

malfunctions due to high heat operating

conditions.

The problem was solved when Covino layered gold on top of the HI-T-LUBE

alloy he had used on the F105s. “It was the only thing that held together and

lubricated in a vacuum or in both high heat very cold zones,” says Covino. HI-

T-LUBE was used for the first trip to the moon and subsequently for trips to

Venus and Mars. The Mars Probe had approximately 400 pieces lubricated with

the alloy.

Back on earth, Covino’s invention, HI-T-LUBE, as well as other surface enhance-

ment coatings, eliminated the need for potentially hazardous lubricants, clean-

ers and chemicals. But even more important to design engineers worldwide is

the fact that Magnaplate’s coatings prolong the life of critical metal parts on

all types of equipment. Their coatings resist corrosion, friction, and chemical

attack.

All of General Magnaplate’s surface enhancement coatings also help preserve

limited natural resources by allowing the use of common metals in place of

much more difficult-to-extract or expensive materials. Friction-reducing coat-

ings, such as HI-T-LUBE, decrease the huge amount of energy demanded by

the millions of pieces of machinery and equipment needed to keep the econ-

omy flowing. “Certain metals are going to be in short supply and we’re quickly

depleting energies and materials we can extract from the earth. If lower cost

metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, are coated with HI-T-LUBE, they will

be less likely to corrode, bend, wear or fracture, limiting negative effects on the

environment.”