Self-Lubricating Elastomers: A Cleaner, More Reliable Low-Friction Solution

In the first article of this series, we introduced self-lubricating elastomers and explained how integrated lubrication works and what lower friction means in practice. This second article looks at how self-lubricating elastomers compare with traditional greases and surface coatings, and why they offer operational and performance advantages in many applications.

Compared with Grease

Grease can work effectively at the start, but it introduces challenges:

• It can contaminate sensitive areas
• Attracts dust and dirt
• Requires dedicated production steps and quality checks
• Can change with temperature or age

Self-lubricating elastomers eliminate these issues. Because lubrication is built in, there is:

• No contamination
• No risk of misapplication
• No performance swings due to excess or lack of grease

Compared with Surface Coatings

Anti-friction coatings can reduce friction but remain a separate surface layer. They may:

• Wear off in areas of high pressure
• Require extra process steps
• Create additional product versions and cost
• Flake or degrade over time

The optimized self-lubricating elastomers from Datwyler keep the low-friction effect stable across many cycles because lubrication is integrated into the material itself.

Stable Performance Under Environmental Conditions

Temperature changes, humidity and sunlight (UV) can influence surface treatments. Self-lubricating elastomers remain reliable in typical indoor and outdoor environments. The internal lubricant continues to support the surface interface, helping maintain predictable friction and dependable sealing.

Operational and Cost Advantages

By removing greasing and coating steps, companies can streamline production:

• Fewer processing steps
• No greasing stations or coating lines
• No additional curing or drying time
• Reduced consumables (greases, coating chemicals, applicators, etc.)
• Lower risk of variation
• Simplified inventory

This makes operations faster, cleaner and more cost-efficient while ensuring consistently low-friction performance across batches.

As shown in this article, self-lubricating elastomers offer a cleaner and more reliable alternative to greases and surface coatings, while simplifying operations and supporting consistent performance.

For a detailed introduction to how self-lubricating elastomers work and what benefits they offer in practice, please refer to Part 1 of this article series.

If you would like to discuss how self-lubricating elastomers could support your application, please contact us.