International studies have shown that increasing the efficiency of tribologic systems can save industry millions of dollars a year in lost time incidents and equipment breakdowns. In fact figures have shown that the economies of industrial countries can record a 5% hit to their GDP due to wear and tear.
Australian mechanical and electrical goods specialist Murray Engineering has first-hand knowledge of the importance of using high quality wear and friction reduction products and believes it has such a product in its portfolio, with the German-made Rewitec nanocoating system.
The multi-award winning Rewitec product line of nano- and micro-particle based lubricant additives focuses on the sustained running time of treated engines and gearboxes.
Murray Engineering is the exclusive distributor of Rewitec nanocoating product in Australia and the company’s Projects Manager, Shannon Edwards, says the unique technology has the capacity to be a real moneys saver for the local mining industry.
Edwards said that Murray Engineering had significant success with the product on its own equipment and that led to the company seeking the rights to be the exclusive Rewitec agency to the mining and construction industries in Australia.
“With our Group’s annual machine utilisation, we believe we can extend major component life by 20%, which may lead to an annual cost saving of approximately A$12 million, which is a big carrot to pursue for us – and the rest of the industry.
“All industries where tribologic systems prevail will gain significant benefit from using Rewitec,” Edwards said. “Simply put, the market includes any application where there is friction, lubrication and wear of surfaces in relative motion to one another. So it may be in marine engines, wind turbine gearboxes or axles of mobile plant.”
Edwards added that Murray Engineering expects that interest in the Rewitec products will increase once their benefits are fully demonstrated. “We have had initial orders and consequent installation, however the benefit is proven over time so the best results are obtained from large samples. Whilst the product has been endorsed by large leaders in industry and independently verified by reputable universities, we will progressively use Rewitec in our machine components and publish results as they come to hand. The cost is low, risk non-existent and the expected benefit massive,” he said.
Rewitec’s innovative nano-coating is based on several different synthetic and mineral silicate compounds. This is used in so-called tribological systems, not least for gears, bearings and internal combustion engines.
The abrasion and the wear on bearings, gearboxes and similar units is a key issue when it comes to service life and sustainable functionality. Here in particular, the spotlight falls on energy consumption, power and operational safety.
REWITEC® has committed itself to this task and has developed an unprecedented product portfolio. The nano- and micro-particle-based surface treatment additives are used in so-called tribological systems and are added as an additive to the lubricants of the units. The lubricant in this case acts as a means of transportation and carries the silicon coating onto loaded metal surfaces. By using friction energy and crystalline temperatures that arise in the so-called mixed friction range, the products passivate the surface and reduce the roughness. They affect the service life, energy consumption, and safety of systems, machinery and gearboxes sustainably and in a positive way.
In the first step of the Rewitec process, as illustrated, the silicon coating is transported via a lubricant into the friction area of gearboxes, bearings or the motors and thus gets to the stressed metal surfaces.
Step 2: The crystalline temperatures produced as a result of metal friction cause a reaction of the coating particles on the metallic surfaces and set off the physical/chemical bonding process.
Step 3: On the basis of this chemical compound, the surfaces exposed to friction are given a ceramic quality and a new corrosion-resistant metal-ceramic surface is created. The material properties improve in the process in terms of friction and wear significantly, whereas the lubricant properties remain unchanged.
Rewitec says this innovative technology “ensures that machine performance and energy efficiency are enhanced over the long term and the wear in the tribological systems is reduced. Once added to the lubricant, the Rewitec products, specifically developed for each respective purpose, provide you with protection over many hours of operation. The concentrated active agents are generally supplied pre-mixed in a neutral white oil, which is compatible with practically all standard lubricants. For special lubricants, such as polyglycol oils, we are able to provide appropriate special products. It is also possible to apply our active agents to special lubricants supplied by the client.”
