High quality grease and oil lubricants offer exceptional protection for equipment that relies on different parts moving against one another. Beyond reducing friction, which allows machinery to operate more smoothly, lubricants can also be manufactured to control temperature, prevent corrosion, or create a protective shield against outside contaminants that may harm your equipment. The key to how these lubrications achieve such qualities often boils down to what they are made from and how they are made.


What Lubricants are Made From


Your typical industrial oil lubricant consists of a base oil, that can either be mineral- or vegetable-based or synthetic, combined with an additive to optimise and refine its performance. Generally, oil lubricants consist of 80-90% base oil and 10-20% additives, whilst grease lubricants will add a thickening agent to increase viscosity.

The inclusion of different additives helps to develop the properties of the lubricant that makes it excel in different applications. Some of the most common additives include:
  • - Metals, such as lead or metal sulphate, that make lubricants better at preventing scoring or galling between metal surfaces under extreme pressures.
  • - Nitrosamines that minimise corrosion and protect films on metal surfaces.
  • - High-molecular weight polymerics which increase viscosity. This lowers the risk of oils thinning under high temperatures.


How Lubricants are Made


The base oil needed for industrial lubricants is extracted from crude oils, that begin the process through sedimentation. This is where the oil is purified of any contaminants such as water or solids including rocks and sand. The oil is then pumped into fragmentation towers where the oil is heated at extremely high temperatures. This breaks the oil down into a hot vapor which cools and condenses as it rises up the tower, and is collected by trays at different levels in the tower. Heavier or inorganic compounds with higher boiling points may be left behind to be processed further.

Once all unwanted compounds have been processed out, the oil that has been collected is ran through multiple filters to remove any remaining impurities that affect the performance of the oil as a lubricant. The refined oil is then mixed with additives to give it the desired properties and is put through rigorous quality checks before it is finally packaged and ready for use.


For EcoPoint, our quality control process begins right at the beginning, by carefully selecting reliable raw materials from our trusted suppliers. As an accredited ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial chemical solutions, including cleaning products and lubricants or degreasers for machinery and heavy equipment, we are experienced with handling the needs of a diverse range of industries. For more information on how we formulate high quality industrial lubricants or the rest of our product range, get in touch by calling 014 9479 2803, email us at [email protected] or fill out our straightforward contact form today.