When it comes to maintaining a linear or rotary bearing system in semiconductor equipment, selecting a vacuum-suitable lubricant or collaborating with a grease supplier often means sacrificing performance, durability and lifetime. At IKO, we’re addressing this dilemma with our Liquid Crystal Lubricant — a new class of lubricant that is developed to provide both superior lubricating and outgassing characteristics in vacuum applications, eliminating the need to choose between performance versus cleanliness.
IKO Liquid Crystal Lubricant — available in sample quantities upon request, with production to support select IKO linear guides and bearing products to follow — is a promising alternative to lubricating greases composed of base oils and thickeners. Those conventional greases have dissimilar molecules that do not adhere well to metal surfaces and evaporate easily. Liquid Crystal Lubricant, however, forms molecular aggregates that create slippery “ordered boundary layers” that easily slide past each other while adhering better to metal surfaces. The result: excellent lubrication characteristics where rolling contact occurs and low outgassing.
When tested in various conditions, Liquid Crystal Lubricant exhibited:
- Very little outgas detection in mass spectrometry at 10-5 Pa and high temperature at 100°C and 200°C.
- Zero net weight loss in an open atmosphere, even at 100°C over 770 hours.
- One-tenth the amount of particles compared to lithium soap-based grease.
With Liquid Crystal Lubricant, not only will you overcome the challenge of creating a long-lasting lubricant with little to no outgassing, you’ll also achieve long-term durability that outclasses other grease types and realize lower rolling resistance than fluorine grease. And, you’ll save time that comes from turning to a grease manufacturer to try to manage the trade-offs associated with lubrication in vacuum applications.
Liquid Crystal Lubricant supports many IKO bearings, and samples are available in two sizes: 2.5 milliliters (MG2.5B/LCL01) and 10 milliliters (MG10B/LCL01). Our engineers are available to discuss your requirements and can assist you in determining whether IKO Liquid Crystal Lubricant products will deliver better performance and value than other greases for your specific application.
To obtain samples or for more information, please contact IKO.
