MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings
Smart Lubrication™ solutions for automotive and industrial applications
Table of contents
2 Introduction to MOLYKOTE® and anti-friction coatings
6 Solutions for a wide range of applications
10 Product line selection
10 Selection coatings for corrosion protection
11 Friction values and specific properties
12 Application Process
13 The coating process
14 Automotive application-driven benefits
15 Industrial application-driven benefits
Legendary performance for today and tomorrow
For well over seven decades – since 1948 – MOLYKOTE® has been a trusted partner, helping engineers and manufacturers meet some of the world’s toughest technical design and lubrication challenges. And with the addition of DuPont’s technologies and expertise when we joined the company in 2019, we became even better positioned to create solutions for emerging trends.
We continually invest in technology and product innovation to support customers’ changing needs. Working side by side with our customers, MOLYKOTE® is forging the future of specialty lubrication with:
• A broad range of trusted, technology-driven specialty
lubricant chemistries
• Application expertise and technical support from
internationally recognized lubrication experts
• Anti-friction coating (AFC) solutions to meet megatrend needs and provide sustainable and efficient solutions
• Innovative combination of tribology and material science for wet and dry lubrication
High-value, high-performance long-term lubrication
Often described as “lubricating paints,” MOLYKOTE®
AFCs contain solid lubricants – rather than coloring pigment – dispersed through carefully selected resin blends and solvents. The choice of raw materials and the concentration of each ingredient are important to the application-based customization of each coating.
MOLYKOTE® AFCs form a dry film and optimize friction of metal and plastic parts – even under intense loads and harsh operating and environmental conditions.
The coatings are easy to apply by spraying, brushing, dip-spinning, roll-coating or screen printing. After curing, the bonded, dry lubricating film provides durable wear protection with a certain level of corrosion protection and resists dust and contamination.
MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings help customers improve safety, reliability and performance by controlling friction and wear, preventing component failures, extending lubrication intervals, and reducing production
and operating costs.
This makes MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings ideal for use in dirty, dusty and humid environments and on inaccessible parts that require long-term lubrication. Economical to apply, long-lasting and valued in uses where other lubricants fail, MOLYKOTE® AFCs provide:
• Dry, clean lubrication unaffected by dust, dirt and moisture
• Lifetime lubrication without aging, evaporation or oxidation
• Rust prevention further enhanced with surface treatments (e.g., Zn-phosphating, galvanizing)
• Nonflammable, nonstaining protection on metals, plastics and elastomers
• Controlled film thickness for exact loadbearing
capabilities
• Fully effective lubrication, even after prolonged shutdown
Delivering results in tough conditions
Operating principles and conditions
MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings are particularly effective in boundary friction and mixed friction
states, as illustrated in the Stribeck curve (Figure 1). In these states, direct metal-to-metal contact
and wear take place because fluid hydrodynamic lubrication cannot be realized.
Typical running-in effect and friction value
Anti-friction coatings generally are applied at 10-20 μm dry film thickness. Under load, the structure
of the film is compacted, producing an extremely smooth surface covering the asperities of the
carrier material (Figure 3). Coefficient of friction values of MoS2-based anti-friction coatings are
compared to PTFE-based coatings in Figure 4. The coefficient of friction value of Mos2-based
coatings drops after a short running-in phase.
Innovating through collaborative application engineering
MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings offer finetuned solutions enabled by a customer-oriented development process – made possible by our network of global collaboration and technical development centers equipped with the latest tribological and analytical technology. When customers work together with us, they have the full benefit of our:
• Tribology testing capabilities, from standard data sheet test methods to custom-designed test rigs to match specific customer applications
• Equipment to replicate part movement across a wide range of loads, environmental conditions, temperatures and speeds (LETS) to assist with all stages of development – from prototype to production and maintenance
• In-house coating research and development
• Deep knowledge in resin and solid lubricant technology
• Regional experts who translate customer application challenges into measurable lubricant solutions
• Development guided by safer-by-design principles to deliver robust product performance and a reduced footprint
In addition, we provide support for coating-line designs, process improvements and coating-shop recommendations. Combining DuPont™ resins with MOLYKOTE® lubricant expertise and advanced formulations will help us to develop better solutions for emerging trends and challenges.
Solutions for a wide range of applications
As fail-safe lubricants, MOLYKOTE®
Anti-Friction Coatings are valued by the world’s leading engineers and manufacturers and are trusted for uses where maximum wear endurance is needed in a wide variety of applications – from increasingly electrified, autonomous and energy-efficient vehicles to industrial challenges where functionality, connectivity, safety and sustainability are critical.
Together, we can create lubrication solutions for your specific automotive and industrial applications. The next few pages highlight common application examples of MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings.
Product selection
Selected coatings for corrosion protection
Friction values and specific properties
Application Process
The Coating Process
To ensure the effectiveness and full service life of MOLYKOTE® Anti-Friction Coatings, a proper coating process must be followed (Figure 5). Surface pretreatment plays a key role in coating service life and performance. Depending on the material, this can include processes such as solvent sonication, degreasing, media blasting, detergent washing, phosphating, anodizing, acid washing, e-coating, corona/plasma treatment and others (Figure 6). Once the pretreated parts are dry and clean, different methods – varying by part geometry, weight, quantity and coating liquid viscosity – can be used to apply the anti friction coating, including dip spinning, tumble spraying, HVLP spraying, screen printing, brushing, rolling and coil-coating.
Once coating is applied to the substrate, a curing process is required. Time to cure (from 2 to 90 minutes) and temperature needed (from ambient temperature up to 250°C) can vary, depending on the cure mechanism (heat, air or UV).
Pretreatment methods
AFCs for automotive application needs
AFCs for industrial application needs
