FAQs
Q: Who is responsible for manufacturing Apiezon?
A: Apiezon is manufactured by M&I Materials Limited in the UK.
Q: Who are M&I Materials Limited?
A: M&I Materials Limited is a strong global business that specialises in materials for industry and science. Please visit www.mimaterials.com
Q: I am interested in learning more about Apiezon, what should I do next?
A: Please contact our expert sales team and they will endeavour to answer all your questions.
Tel: +44 (0)161 864 5409 or email:apiezontech@mimaterials.com
Q: Where can I buy Apiezon products?
A: Apiezon products are sold via a global network of distributors. See our Distributor Lists.
Q: Were can I find information about Apiezon pack sizes?
A: Please see Packaging.
Q: How do you clean off Apiezon products?
A: Wipe off any excess grease with a lint free cloth. Residual grease or wax can be cleaned using aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, xylene), chlorinated hydrocarbons (trichloroethylene) or for a safer solvent, we normally recommend d-limonene. They cannot be cleaned using alcohols (ethanol, IPA) or ketones (acetone, MEK). Apiezon is not soluble in water but if you are cleaning off AP100, L, M, or N you can use hot soapy water (if practical).
Q: What is the shelf life of the Apiezon product range?
A: The shelf life of all Apiezon products is ten years from the date of manufacture in the original unopened packaging stored at ambient temperatures. If you provide us with the six-digit batch number printed on the outer packaging (e.g. 017890) we can tell you the date of manufacture.
Q: What is the shelf life of an opened Apiezon container?
A: The complex chemical structure of Apiezon greases gives them strong 'gettering' properties, this means that they will readily absorb airborne vapours particularly water, and other hydrocarbons. If volatile vapours are absorbed then the greases will lose their excellent vapour pressure characteristics until these contaminants have been outgassed. This is why we pack the greases in 'vapour-proof' aluminium tubes. As we have no control over the use of the greases once they have been opened we cannot quote a shelf life for the products after opening. Practically, however, if care is taken in re-capping the tubes immediately after use and they are not exposed to volatiles then a long service life should not be a problem. Apart from absorption of volatiles the products are stable and no other changes would be anticipated in the long term.
Q: Are Apiezon products RoHS compliant?
A: All Apiezon products are RoHS compliant. None of the products contain polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), Deca-BDE or are formulated using lead, cadmium, mercury or hexavalent chromium. The heavy metal contents are shown in the table below.
| Product | Lead | Mercury | Cadmium | Chromium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ppm | ppm | ppm | ppm | |
| L | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| M | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| N | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| AP100 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| H | <2 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| T | <2 | <2 | <2 | <2 |
| AP101 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| AP201 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| J | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| K | <2 | <2 | <2 | <2 |
| W | <7 | <7 | <7 | <7 |
| W40 | <4 | <4 | <4 | <4 |
| W100 | <4 | <4 | <4 | <4 |
| Q | <20 | <10 | <5 | <20 |
Q: Are Apiezon products silicone-free?
A: Yes, all Apiezon products are totally free of silicone.
Q: What happens to Apiezon greases above their melting point?
A: All the greases (apart from H grease) liquefy but then return to their normal state and properties on cooling, providing the temperature rise has not been excessive.
Q: What o-ring materials are compatible with Apiezon oils and greases?
A: Apiezon greases are silicone-free, hydrocarbon based products and are compatible with a wide range of o-ring materials including viton, silicone, nitrile (>30% nitrile content), nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene and polypropylene. Due to their hydrocarbon formulation Apiezon greases and oils are not compatible with EPDM (ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber), EPR (ethylene propylene rubber), Butyl rubber and PVC seals.
Q: Are Apiezon greases resistant to acidic vapours or chlorine?
A: Apiezon greases are all based on molecularly distilled hydrocarbons and as such will show a high degree of resistance to acidic reagents and chlorine.
Q: Is Apiezon Wax W resistant to strong acid and alkali etch solutions?
A: Yes, it is widely used as an etch resist up to 75°C in all sorts of etchants including KOH, TMAH, EDP, HF, HNO3, NaOH.
Q: Are Apiezon greases suitable for use in an oxygen (or LOX) environment?
A: We do not recommend using any Apiezon product in pure oxygen environments because they are based on hydrocarbons so there is a small risk of auto-ignition.
Q: Are Apiezon greases resistant to radiation?
A: Apiezon L and M greases show a degree of radiation resistance with only a comparatively small increase in stiffness after irradiation with 4 MeV electrons to a level of about 100 Mrads. After this exposure the lubrication properties of the grease are still satisfactory and this is true at even higher levels of irradiation, although the stiffness increases more rapidly. At high levels of irradiation small quantities of gases, (mainly methane and ethylene) are evolved so that the grease loses its very low vapour pressure characteristics. Nevertheless Apiezon greases L and M are markedly better lubricants at high irradiation levels than other high vacuum lubricants such as silicones, esters and halogenated products.
Q: Do Apiezon greases show luminescence under UV radiation?
A: Yes, they all show blue luminescence. Full details are in the paper “Long-Lived luminescence from commonly used Apiezon compounds” D.W Cooke, B.L. Bennett. Journal of Luminescence 65:1996. A copy is available on request.
