Lubricants for use in industrial gearboxes are usually based on a base oil that is produced from crude oil. Together with suppliers, SEW-Eurodrive has succeeded in producing what it claims to be the first industrial gear lubricant based on sustainable biomass. In a synthesis process, biowaste and food waste are processed into a high-quality base oil. The biomass used for this complies with the EU Commission's Renewable Energy Directive.

"Our lubricant GearFluid Poly made from biomass is a polyglycol lubricant," explains Alexander Hüttinger, Head of the "Tribology and Sealing Systems" technology group at SEW-Eurodrive in Bruchsal. According to the company, the CO2 release in the lubricant's production process is reduced by 84% compared to conventional polyglycol oils. When switching to the new gear lubricant, Hüttinger advises: "Polyglycol and mineral oils cannot be mixed. When switching from mineral oil to GearFluid, the flushing process must be adhered to. But in principle, most SEW-Eurodrive gearboxes can be operated with the 'GearFluid Poly' lubricant made from biomass."

The new gear lubricant with a viscosity of 220 is available immediately. It can be optionally selected as an initial filling for the standard gearboxes and geared motors as well as for the servo gearboxes and geared motors. For service and maintenance purposes, this lubricant is available in 20-liter canisters.

Another advantage: "The use of GearFluid lubricant can even achieve very significant increases in efficiency," says Hüttinger. "The efficiency of a gearbox depends very much on the type of gearing. The differences can be seen most clearly in a worm gearbox. Depending on the gear ratio, efficiency can be increased by up to ten percentage points by switching from mineral oil to GearFluid. The oil change interval can also be extended by around three times compared to mineral oils! This allows us to make a further, not insignificant contribution to resource conservation and sustainability," says the lubricant expert.

GearFluid is rapidly biodegradable according to OECD 301 B and can therefore also be used as a lubricant in environmentally sensitive areas.

SEW-Eurodrive at the SPS 2022: Hall 3A, Stand 411