WebSite:-Extract from THE BEST OF NASA'S SPINOFFS

WS2 Dry lubricant Coating

The coating binds instantly to any metal or resin substrate with a thickness of 20 millionths of an inch.

The Mariner missions of the 196Os.and 197Os produced a wealth of information about Earth's neighboring planets‹Venus, Mars, and Mercury. The Mariner family of unmanned spacecraft incorporated a great deal of what was then considered leading-edge technology ‹advances in onboard power, scientific instrumentation, communications, and imaging/data transmission systems. Among these innovations was an unsung technology: a dry film lubricant developed for NASA by Stanford University. It offered markedly reduced friction and extended wearlife of mating parts operating in harsh interplanetary environments, where temperatures ranged from well below zero to 5OO degrees Fahrenheit.

The technology subsequently was acquired and refined by Micro Surface Corporation, Morris, Illinois, which markets the lubricant as the WS2 modified tungsten disulfide coating. The coating binds to any metal or resin substrate with a thickness of 2O millionths of an inch without heat, coating binders, adhesives. or curing.

In the aftermath of the Mariner missions, the dry lubricant found its way into industry use, but only by aerospace and defence contractors. In 1984, Micro Surface introduced WS2 to general use and it has since compiled an excellent track record in an ever-widening range of applications across the automotive, medical equipment, plastics, tool and die, and robotics industries. It has been employed, for example, to coat machine tools, industrial gears and bearings, electric motors, compressors, cryogenic pumps, and small firearms. WS2 can help improve product quality, extend equipment service life, and eliminate or reduce costly maintenance problems.

In the plastics industry, WS2 users have found that in operations such as blow moulding, injection moulding, and extrusions the coating increases production by reducing the drag between tool steel and resin. In the automotive field, it is used by Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporation to reduce friction and wear in auto bearings, transmissions, and engine internal parts.

In the manufacture of plastic parts companies coat injection moulds to reduce sticking and increase production.