Esters – The Underrated Performance Drivers of Modern Lubricants
When it comes to high-performance lubricants, the spotlight often falls on base oils such as PAOs or sophisticated additive packages. Esters tend to fade into the background, even though they play a decisive role in many formulations when it comes to performance, stability, and efficiency.
Synthetic esters serve far more than a secondary function in lubrication. Their polar structure enhances the wetting of metallic surfaces, thereby contributing significantly to the reduction of friction and wear, particularly under boundary and mixing friction lubrication conditions.
They are characterized by thermal stability and excellent viscosity-temperature behavior. In applications involving high operating temperatures or varying load profiles, they can help maintain lubricant performance over extended periods.
Another often underestimated advantage is the excellent solubility of many additives in esters. This facilitates the formulation of high-performance lubricants and allows the full potential of anti-wear, friction-modifying, and antioxidant additives to be realized.
Whether in industrial gearboxes, hydraulic systems, compressors, or high-temperature greases: Esters make an important contribution to the performance of modern lubricants, especially where efficiency, environmental compatibility, and reliability are required. They are not a marginal phenomenon but functional building blocks with clearly measurable added value. Those who leverage their properties in a targeted manner can develop lubricants that meet both current and future demands.
This year, we will again be expanding our existing portfolio with new products that our development team is working on with full commitment. In parallel with the portfolio expansion, we are conducting various projects to collect relevant data in order to provide well-founded evidence of the outstanding performance of our products.
