LubeCorp, based in Calgary, Canada, has achieved super-compliant status with Californias South Coast Air Quality Management District for two of its high-performance, biodegradable metalworking fluids: GreenCut cutting/misting fluid, and GreenCut plasma treatment for CNC plasma arc water tables. This means both products VOC content is lower than 50 grams/liter, and users are freed from the onerous recordkeeping and reporting requirements of Californias Rule 144. That rule regulates metalworking fluids and direct-contact lubricants to reduce VOC releases in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. E-mail reach@lubecorp.com for details and information on Rule 144.

Protect Metal with Lanolin

Berkebile Oil Co. has introduced a solvent-free penetrating lubricant and rust inhibitor that marks its entry into the environmentally acceptable market segment. The lubricant, which goes by the name PFC (for Protection First Class), uses non-toxic, 99 percent pure cosmetic-grade lanolin, also known as wool wax, as a key ingredient. Berkebile says this formulation not only gives PFC its green credentials, but also does the same thing for machinery exposed to the elements that lanolin does for sheep: i.e., repel water. Sprayed, brushed or wiped on, the lubricant clings more tenaciously and last up to 15 times longer than similar solvent-based lubricants, the company says. Web: www.berkebileoil.com

Fill Up with Haver, Newtec

Haver Filling Systems Inc., a maker and distributor of automated bagging and liquid filling machines, has added fully automated bag-palletizing machines manufactured by Newtec Bag Palletizing to its line of bulk material packaging equipment. The Newtec machines can precisely stack bags made of various materials and that are filled with a wide range of products to form compact stacks, stable for moving and storage. The equipment is said to be ideal for handling the dry bulk raw materials used in many chemical and process industries. Web: www.haverusa.com

Chevron Goes Marine Green

Chevron has introduced a new line of lubricants engineered to provide high performance while meeting tough new environmental rules protecting lakes, rivers and oceans. Clarity brand synthetic EA hydraulic fluids and gear oils meet the EPA Vessel General Permit requirements for environmentally acceptable lubricants. They are designed to provide maximum protection with good seal compatibility in hydraulic equipment and industrial gear applications where performance is critical but where leaks or accidental discharge are a concern, the company says. The oils will be available in three viscosity grades (ISO 46, 68 and 100). Web: www.chevronlubricants.com

Same-day Tests Results

A new independent laboratory has opened in Grand Rapids, Mich., offering same-day testing on a variety of lubricant samples. Apex Oil Lab will use the latest methods and equipment, and promises expert analysis and recommendations with each test result on fluids drawn from machinery such as compressors, fleet engines, gear systems, hydraulics, transmissions and turbines. For businesses such as equipment manufacturers and lubricant distributors, Apex is also offering a private-label program, so those

businesses can offer testing to their own customers. Web: www.apexoillab.com

Thin Sheets, Thin Lubrication

Unist is offering a system designed to lubricate ultra-thin sheet metal stock while reducing the amount of lubricant needed. The Unist TSL, designed for use on fin stock and thin coils used in the container and packaging industry, simultaneously lubricates both sides of sheets ranging from .002 to .010 inch thick and from 9 to 45 inches wide. It uses felt applicators that are held in constant contact with pneumatic cylinders. The TSLs programmable fluid controller allows precision application, thus reducing waste, and alerts operators to problems in level, pressure or flow, the company says. Web: www.unist.com

Take an Extended Breather

Des-Cases line of industrial desiccant breathers is getting bigger – literally. Designed to prolong maintenance intervals, along with lubricant and equipment life, the newest models are aptly named the Extended Series. They feature higher airflow with more moisture-absorbing material, check-valve technology and a longer lifespan to remove moisture, dirt and other contaminants from the air before they can gum up machinery and the lubricants that keep it running, the company says. The breathers come in various sizes designed for industrial applications ranging from tank farms to wind turbines to large gearboxes, especially those in use in remote or high-humidity locations. Web: www.des-case.com

Tap Klines Insights

Business consultant Kline & Co. has begun marketing a soon-to-be published analysis of opportunities in Chinas estimated $23 billion lubricants market. The analysis explores how lubricant makers and marketers can profit as China shifts its attention from developed coastal cities to inland infrastructure and development. Emphasized are changing customer expectations, product categories and end-use segments that offer opportunities. Theres also a look at who the big players are expected to be during the coming five-year cycle, the company said. Web: www.klinegroup.com

Funnel Ends the Mess

New Pig is offering a new drum funnel designed to be both burpless and sealable with one hand, which the spill-specialist company says will take the mess out of liquid waste collection and minimize the time spent emptying disparate containers into drums. The 16.5-by-14-inch funnels fit over the openings of 30- and 55-gallon steel drums and allow operators to quickly drain a 5-gallon bucket without splashback. The one-handed latching mechanism with nitrile gasket encourages compliance with EPA closed-container regulations. Its lockable and available with multiple color options to help in waste segregation efforts, the company said. Web: www.newpig.com

SIA Shows Seamless Tank

SIA has begun marketing an innovation in flexible tanks: seamlessness. Flexitanks are enormous plastic bags that fit into semi-trailers or shipping containers, and then are used to transport every imaginable liquid – from base oils to burgundies. Their weak spot, says SIA, has always been the seams, which are the points most likely to burst or leak. Now SIA says it has eliminated that weakness with the seamless Global Flexitank. It uses a proprietary process to blow a film of plastified PE polymers with a seamless 8-meter circumference, eliminating the weakness. The Flexitanks can be recycled after use. Web: www.siaflexitanks.com

Zinsser Solves Sticky Problem

Labs have often had difficulties delivering precisely measured samples of highly viscous liquids, which can be as tough to measure as they are to pour. Zinsser Analytic believes it has solved the problem with the new ViscTool. The tool allows computer-controlled precision pipetting of volumes ranging from 1/10,000th of a liter to 50 milliliters and can be upgraded to all previously installed Zinsser automatic workbench systems. Web: www.zinsser-analytic.com

Parts Lubricate Themselves

Metallized Carbon Corp., which specializes in self-lubricating, carbon/graphite materials for severe-service lubrication applications, is offering custom vanes, rotors and end plates for use in rotary vane pumps that handle both liquids and gases. The components are said to provide superior lubrication in most environments, while withstanding rubbing against other pump parts. In dry-running applications, the parts typically may find use in anti-smog and vapor pick-up pumps, breathable air pumps and vacuum pumps. In-liquid applications include fuel and liquid chemical pumps, beverage pumps, and other liquid pumps. Web: www.metcar.com