Petro-Canada Lubricants has expanded its Traxon range with the addition of Traxon Synthetic 75W-85, a low-viscosity hypoid gear oil to enhance efficiency while also offering long-lasting wear protection, the company says. The oil provides easier start-ups and improved cold weather shifting for manual transmissions, hypoid gears and rear axles. It meets API Gear Lubricant Service GL-5 and API MT-1 gear lubricant standards, as well as Mack GO-J for heavy-duty manual transmissions. It is suitable for use where Volvo 1273, 12 (97312) and Meritor 0-76-J specifications are required and is approved against SAE J2360 Global Standard. It also expanded its Duron range with Advanced 5W-30, a low-viscosity, heavy-duty diesel engine oil.
www.lubricants.petro-canada.com

Bio-based Transformation

Swedish base oil and lube company Nynas has developed the worlds first bio-based transformer fluid, Nytro Bio 300X. It is a 100 percent renewable, ultra-low viscosity fluid with good oxidation stability that exceeds IEC 60296 specifications, the company claims in a press release. Nytro Bio 300X can assist reducing transformers winding hot spot temperature by up to 10 degrees Celsius more than average mineral oils and by 20 C compared with ester liquids.www.nynas.com

Daily Grind

German metalworking fluids company Oelheld added TC-X 630 to its SintoGrind series of grinding fluids. The fluid is made from a gas-to-liquid base oil and contains no sulfur, aromatics or nitrogen, the company says. The product is designed for flute, profile and both outside and inside diameter grinding. It can be used on materials such as tungsten carbide, polycrystalline diamond, cubic boron nitride, cermet and ceramics and on hollow structural sections. Oelheld also states that the fluid exhibits stable viscosity over a wide temperature spectrum. www.oelheld.com

Future Finnish

Kiilto, a Finnish producer of industrial chemicals, launched plant-based Easycool Futura and Easycool Futura 20 cutting fluids. The company says the fluids are made from vegetable oil esters, which allow for better adherence to lubricated surfaces than mineral oil based lubricants. The product is best suited for grinding, milling, drilling and cutting steel and cast iron, but can also be used on copper and aluminum alloys. The company also claims that the fluids are fully biodegradable and possess good cooling properties. ww.kiilto.fi

Fluid Management

Castrol, the lube brand of BP, in conjunction with control system experts at Tiefenbach, rolled out Castrol SmartControl, a system that allows manufacturers to automatically monitor and control central systems of metalworking fluids. The company says that the SmartControl system provides instant data that ensures metalworking processes are more efficient, reliable and can operate continuously without operator intervention. The system also enables the measuring of concentration, pH level, conductivity, temperature and volume flow. www.castrol.com

Exxon the Electric Bandwagon

ExxonMobil rolled out a new suite of lubricants for electric vehicles. The product range includes Mobil EV Therm, a series of thermal management fluids formulated to manage heat and increase equipment life; Mobil EV Drive, a series of lubricants designed to protect gears and bearings in EVs; Mobil EV Cool Drive, formulated to lubricate gears and bearings while cooling e-motors and power electronics; and Mobil EV Grease that can be used on e-motors, bearings and constant velocity joints. www.mobilev.com

Top Gear Oils

Chevron announced the launch of Meropa MG, a range of gear oils designed for use in industrial and marine clutched gear systems where extreme load and shock load protection is required. According to Chevron, the oils provide extreme pressure protection and combat deposit formation and corrosion. They are also designed to offer long lubricant life and good wear protection with high load carrying capacity. The oils are suitable for use in clutched gearboxes required to pass the Ortlinghaus clutch test. www.chevron.com

Gas Base Oiler

Shells U.S. lubricant brand Pennzoil added four new motor oils to its full synthetic lineup. Each lubricant is formulated with Shells proprietary Pure Plus natural gas-derived base oil and is designed to cater to varying engine types and driving styles, the company says. Pennzoil Extended Care and Pennzoil Start Stop Protection are available in SAE 0W-20 and SAE 5W-30 viscosity grades, Pennzoil Maximum Power comes in SAE 0W-30 and Pennzoil Hybrid is available in SAE 0W-16. The oils are available at select online retailers as of Nov. 1.
www.pennzoil.com

New Lines for EVs

U.S. lubricant company Valvoline introduced Valvoline EV Performance Fluids, a product line designed specifically for electric vehicles. The product and service offerings are intended to contribute to longer vehicle lifespans by working to solve common EV issues, including battery temperature variations, powertrain performance, brake system corrosion and seal bearing failure, among others. The product line includes Valvoline EV Heat Transfer Fluid, Valvoline EV Drive System Fluid, Valvoline EV Brake Fluid and Valvoline EV Grease. The products are available globally. www.valvoline.com

Play the Particle

U.S. corporation PerkinElmer Inc. has developed the LPC 500 Liquid Particle Counter, which couples with the companys existing Avio 500 ICP-OES Oils system, for particle counting and sizing, as well as wear metals analysis of in-service oils and lubricants. The platform features single particle optical sizing technology and, paired with the Avio 500 system, enables lubricant testing laboratories to conduct two otherwise independent analyses in a single run. The company says that test results are delivered in less than one minute. www.perkinelmer.com