Large Diameter Tube Bending Gel

With new regulations restricting or eliminating chlorinated paraffin as an ingredient in metalforming fluids, the challenge has been to develop products that are safer for the environment and for worker exposure. GEL 986-00D from IRMCO (Evanston, IL) is the first product in a new line of tube bending products to address these changing regulations in applications that have relied on chlorinated paraffin containing products. GEL 986-00D has proven successful in tube bending of 304, 409 and 439 stainless steels up to 8 in diameter. Some successes have also been realized on smaller diameter aluminized stainless steel tube-bending applications up to 4 in diameter. This gel is different from many other tube-bending products in that it contains no mineral oil, no pigments or clays, no PTFE, and no chlorine, zinc, boron, phosphorous or sulfur-based EP or AW additives.

GEL 986-00D can be applied through the mandrel or manually swabbed on tubes and demonstrates excellent cling – not dripping off of or out of tubes like mineral oil based products. This characteristic keeps shop floors cleaner and in many cases provides enough lubrication for end-forming/expanding applications. Being water based, GEL 986-00D has also proven to be easily cleaned in conventional immersion, ultrasonic and spray cleaning systems.

www.irmco.com