LMI + HAR
Advanced Metal Forming & Stamping Lubricants
Specialized Process Solutions for Appliance and Industrial Manufacturing
HAR's support of the household appliance industry extends well beyond adhesives and adhesive application equipment.
Metal-forming and stamping lubricants are an important part of that relationship.
Through our partnership with LMI, HAR provides specialized lubricant technologies developed for cold metal deformation and stamping applications, including water-based emulsions, neat lubricants, and specialty food-grade technologies. LMI's brochure specifically identifies automotive and household-appliance manufacturing among the industries served.
The Lubricant Affects More Than the Press
The right forming lubricant has to help the metal move successfully through the stamping process.
But its impact can extend much further.
It can affect tooling life, lubricant consumption, smoke, operator conditions, downstream welding, cleaning, waste, and total applied cost.
That's why HAR approaches metal-forming lubricants much the same way we approach an adhesive application:
Understand the complete manufacturing process before recommending the material.
Why LMI Technology Is Different
LMI has specialized in the formulation and production of environmentally conscious lubricants for cold metal deformation since 1990.
Its vegetable-oil-based lubricants are produced from natural vegetable esters and are characterized by renewable-source origin, biodegradability, high lubrication and cooling capacity, and reduced environmental impact.
The LMI comparison with conventional mineral oils also reports higher biodegradability, lower volatility, higher flash and smoke points, and improved extreme-pressure/anti-wear properties for its vegetable-oil technologies.
The important message for the customer shouldn't simply be “green oil.”
It should be:
Better environmental characteristics can come with meaningful manufacturing-performance advantages.
Proven Results in Appliance Manufacturing
This is where I think the page becomes unusually compelling.
LMI documents a metal-stamping case study involving the automotive and household appliance industries in which mineral oil was replaced with an LMI green lubricant.
The reported results included:
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30% less lubricant usage
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20% lower applied cost
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Longer life of coated punches
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No smoke generated during heavy stamping
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No black spots during welding
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Faster and easier cleaning
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Elimination of reported skin and eye irritation for press operators
Water-Based and Neat Lubricant Technologies
Different metal-forming processes require different approaches.
LMI offers a substantial family of water-based emulsions for automotive and household-appliance metal stamping, along with a separate group of neat lubricants for the same manufacturing markets.
HAR can work with manufacturers to understand the variables surrounding the process before evaluating a technology: Metal being formed • Press operation • Tooling • Draw requirements • Lubricant application • Cleaning • Welding • Downstream finishing • Plant environment
The objective isn't simply to replace one oil with another.
It's to understand whether the lubricant can improve the manufacturing process around it.
Why LMI + HAR?
LMI brings specialized lubricant chemistry and decades of experience in cold metal deformation.
HAR brings something different: the existing manufacturing relationships, responsiveness, inventory and hands-on technical approach our customers already expect from us.
For appliance manufacturers already working with HAR on adhesives, equipment or other process requirements, this creates another opportunity to consolidate technical support around a partner that already understands their operation.
And for manufacturers who first discover HAR through a metal-forming problem, it introduces them to a much broader range of HAR capabilities.
LMI's technology. HAR's manufacturing experience and support.
Solutions & Support. Beyond Your Imagination.
A stamping lubricant may not be what you expect to find from a company named HAR Adhesive Technologies.
That's precisely why this relationship matters.
When a technology can help a customer improve a manufacturing process, we're willing to look beyond the conventional boundaries of an adhesive supplier.
