O ring Lubrication

[twizel]

Hi All.
we are about to change our CO2 Regulator lubricant to Parker Super O lube. We have been using Xiameter, a 'thin' ( 350 cs) Silicone Oil. We previously 'painted' the Silicone Oil on to the piston O ring prior to install but the Super O lube is very thick and sticky so cannot be applied this way. We build up to 500 regulators per day so need an efficient and clean way of applying the lubricant to the O ring and bore . Can any one share their experience on lubricating O rings prior to assembly? Can we bulk lubricate a few hundred O rings in a bag with a small amount of Lubricant?? Can we apply the lubricant to the piston and bore prior to assembly and assume the O ring will be lubricated once installed? Is there a device for applying lubricants to O rings??

Background:
piston and bore are plastic, O ring is Nitrile, no other lubricants used.

regards,
Craig

 

[MikeHalloran]

For that quantity, I'd put the lube in a Hamilton glass syringe with PTFE plunger, squeeze a few microlitres onto the O-ring, and pull the lube around the periphery of the ring with a gloved hand, or drop it in a sandwich bag and work the lube all over the surface of the ring by manipulating the bag.

I can't think of a 'bulk' application method that's likely to work.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[twizel]

Thanks Mike,

I've tried the bag idea and the main problem is that the Lube is so sticky that it becomes very difficult to handle the O rings let alone install them on to the piston. Ill try the syringe and see how we go,

regards,
Craig

 

[btrueblood]

We stopped using Parker Super-o-lube for that reason - it's too difficult to handle/dispense, and you end up using a lot more than is necessary. We ended up with a much lighter silicone grease (one of the Molykote lubricants), because we can pack it in syringes and dispense it pneumatically. We also tried a heavy silicone oil (1000 cs), but it tends to drip and run, and dribble out of a syringe, whereas the grease stays where it is put until you push it somewhere else.

 

[dhengr]

Twizel:
Could you make a steel pipe post with almost the same OD size as the ID of the O-rings and stack 50-75 O-rings on this post? Then lub the whole bunch with a gloved hand and pick (slide, roll) them off one at a time for application.

Alternatively, fill the piston groove with lub, maybe with syringe and spread it with your finger, then roll the O-ring on dry, and respread the squeezed out lub with your finger on more of the piston. Maybe you could make a 180° trough with an ID same size as the piston OD, and a stop at/for the top of the piston. Measure down the trough to the groove location and drill a pneumatic injection lub hole and rotate the piston to fill the groove. Put a top half on the trough and clamp it down, two injection holes in the bottom and a vent hole in the top, and no piston rotation required. They roll the dry O-ring on and respread the squeezed out lub.

 

[automatic2]

Static rings need a complete coating to allow them to conform in thier glands. Dynamic rings as well, but in addition, lubricant throughout thier travel. This may mean a resivoir of some fashion. On the other side, excessive lubricant may be problematic. Condiser the operational requirements of the seal, then treat it in kind.