Defence & Aerospace
With over 90 years of experience, FUCHS develops, produces, and supplies high-performance lubricants and related specialties for virtually all sectors, including defence, aerospace, fabrication, manufacturing and transport, offering high quality lubrication solutions for critical applications requiring Mil-Spec and NSN approval.
In 2020, FUCHS acquired Nye Lubricants, a U.S. based leader in synthetic lubricants for specialty defence, aerospace and space applications. This strategic acquisition expanded FUCHS’ capabilities in high-performance, engineered lubrication solutions for critical and extreme environments.
Defence Sector Expertise
FUCHS Lubricants Australasia offers a comprehensive portfolio of military-grade and specialty lubricants designed for demanding defence applications across land, sea, air, and space. The full portfolio is over 12,000 product lines covering almost every application across manufacturing, fabrication, corrosion prevention, cooling and asset operation.
Key Defence Capabilities:
- JOSCAR and ICN registered.
- NSN registered MIL-SPEC & DEF STAN compliant Lubricants: Engine oils, hydraulic fluids, greases, and specialty products for military platforms.
- Aerospace & Space Applications: Nye’s PFPE and MAC lubricants are engineered for ultra-high vacuum, radiation, and extreme temperatures, supporting satellites, launch vehicles, and avionics systems.
- Naval & Marine Solutions: Corrosion-resistant and biodegradable lubricants for maritime defence operations.
- Precision & Reliability: 'Lube-for-Life' solutions for mission-critical components where maintenance is limited or impossible.
Certified solutions
Our NSN registered and Mil-Spec lubricants meet the performance and manufacturing standards for defence applications and are manufactured in AS 9100D / ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities.
Readily available
With 2 world-class production facilities in Australia, FUCHS's readily available solutions enable customers to stay on schedule to avoid production delays.
Your development partner
Our in-house R&D facilities enable FUCHS to work closely with OEMs and the Armed Forces to develop innovative lubricants designed for the latest equipment advances & requirements.
Military Specified Lubricants
FUCHS offers synthetic oils and greases specified for many components within defence applications, such as:
- Extreme-temperature jet engine actuators
- Switchgear and geartrains
- Cargo aircraft landing gear
- Aircraft controls
- Precision bearings in navigational instruments
- Wide-temperature avionics connectors
- And other aircraft controls.
In addition to the benefits already offered by our Mil-Spec lubricants, these lubricants can also be customized with rust inhibitors, antioxidants, fortifiers, and other additives to enhance performance, extend service life, and meet your application requirements.
Nye Defence Applications
Uniflor™ PFPEs are a family of fluorinated synthetic fluids that are used to formulate the most thermooxidatively stable lubricants available for defence applications. Due to their low volatility, they are often the lubricants of choice for high-vacuum environments. PFPEs are well suited for demanding environments because of the following properties:
- Withstand temperatures from –90°C to +250°C, and even higher spikes
- Extremely inert & non-flammable
- Do not crack, craze, discolour, or dissolve plastics
- Do not swell, shrink, or embrittle natural rubber or other elastomers
- Resist harsh chemicals, fuel oil, and brake fluids
Original Equipment Manufacturer Approvals:
- Airbus
- Bell Holicopter
- Boeing
- Bombardier
- Embraer
- Pratt & Whitney
- Rolls Royce
- Safran
FUCHS Group Key Global Defence Projects
Australia
Department of Defence: MIL SPEC, industrial lubricants and coolants to support air, land and sea operations and MRO activity
Thales Group Australian Munitions: Specialty lubricants to support the manufacturing of munitions
Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions: Specialty lubricants to support the manufacturing of large calibre munitions
Hofmann Engineering: Cutting fluids, coolants and anti-corrosives to support fabrication operations
Valorem Chemicals: Defence sector MIL SPEC & DEF STAN portfolio support
AS Harrison: Defence sector MIL SPEC & DEF STAN portfolio support
United Kingdom
Ministry of Defence: Royal Airforce, Royal Navy and Army
BAE Systems (UK): Total lubricants Management (TLM):
Sea - Submarine and surface fleet operations & MRO support (Barrow in Furness)
Air - Joint Strike Fighter production (Samlesbury & Warton)
Land - National supply of portfolio to Land Systems Munitions
Munitions - Munitions production (Washinton & Telford)
Rolls Royce Derby (UK): TLM and product
United States
Department of Defence: Navy, Airforce & Army
Bell Helicopters: Aero structure & frame production
L3 Harris: Aero component production
Northrop Grumman Group: Aero component production
Pratt & Whitney Group: Aero component production
Hanwha Aerospace: Aero component production
South Korea
Hanwha Group: Release agent for 155mm munition production
Lubricants for K239 Chunmoo Rocket System
AEROSPACE
The FUCHS Lubricants Group has been designing high-quality synthetic lubricants for leaders in the aerospace industry for more than 60 years. Our scientists and engineers focus on two challenging categories of aerospace applications: discrete components that are lubricated for life, and mechanical or electromechanical devices that must operate for extended periods in severe environments.
Our synthetic oils and greases are specified for extreme-temperature jet engine actuators, cargo aircraft landing gear, aircraft controls, precision bearings in navigational instruments and space suits, wider temperature avionics connectors, linear actuators for satellite antennas, and many other critical aerospace components.
Today, we continue to work with design engineers in the private, government, and military sectors to formulate new synthetic lubricants that will take off with next generation aircraft and spacecraft.
FUCHS in Space
Today, government agencies and private companies within and outside of the aerospace sector are rushing to explore the great unknown with both large and small satellites and spacecraft. With more players, more missions, and large constellations of satellites, the need for innovative space lubricants will continue to grow.
Through the strategic acquisition of Nye Lubricants, the Fuchs group has developed capacity, and segment experience to supply high-performance lubricants and specialty products in support of Space on-ground and in-orbit operations. The Nye lubricants team has worked with leading space organizations for more than 65 years to develop cutting-edge formulations.
In the February of 2021, the Mars Perseverance Rover landed on Mars and with it, a barrier film from Nye Lubricants. Nye’s space lubricants have a long flight history and were first launched into space on the Mercury Mission in 1963. Nye products have played a critical role in protecting components on the International Space Station, GOES-R Series Satellites, and the James Webb Telescope.
In partnership with its customers, FUCHS develops holistic, innovative, and custom-made solutions for the most diverse applications.
FUCHS Lubricants Australasia is very proud to be a member of the Space Industry Association of Australia. We look forward to working with member companies, the Australian governments, academia, and international partners to support and advance the Space industry.
FUCHS Lubricants is a proud member of the Space Industry Association of Australia
Testing for Outer Space
Opened in 2019, Nye’s Vacuum Aerospace and Semiconductor Test (VAST) Laboratory is an extremely controlled environment dedicated to formulating and validating lubricants that operate in vacuum. “An advantage that Nye has over our competitors is the ability to replicate the vacuum of outer space in our custom-built environmental test chambers,” remarks Dr. Galary. In the VAST Lab one of a kind test apparatus designed and built by Nye engineers expose lubricants and components to extreme conditions that mirror those encountered in a space environment. Some rigs, like Nye’s Spiral Orbit Tribometer (SOT), can support customer supplied components to simulate how a lubricant will perform in a specific application.
Nye’s SOT was built based on a method of tribometry developed at the NASA-Glenn Research Center. Using the SOT, engineers can predict the relative lifetime of a lubricant based on the number of orbits made below a friction level. The testing is a simulation of a thrust bearing and provides results that indicate the lubricant consumption, degradation, and life. As this test is done in ultra-high vacuum and the materials in contact can be customized, the SOT can provide a great deal of insight into the performance of mission critical lubricants.
SCROLL TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE NYE LUBRICANTS THAT ARE ALREADY DEPLOYED IN SPACE
PRODUCT APPLICATIONS
Nye Lubricants has formulated high-quality, synthetic greases and oils for leaders in the space industry for more than 65 years. Today, we continue to work with design engineers in the private, government, and military sectors to formulate new specialty lubricants that will take off with next-generation spacecraft. Launch vehicles, rovers, satellite constellations, and a host of applications involved in human travel and space exploration are just a few of the applications that require lubricants that can withstand the demanding operating conditions of space.
The durability and reliability of all space mechanisms, including lubrication, is critical to ensure the success of long-range missions. These missions will include exposure to ultra-high vacuum, radiation and temperature extremes, making higher performance and extended life lubricants a requirement for applications like gyroscopes, optics, reaction wheels, solar array drives, and more. In addition to extending component life lubricants can also increase load carrying ability, control motion, and reduce contamination. Nye’s lubricants are formulated specifically for space components including:
- Bearings
- Gears
- Ball & Lead Screws
- Electrical Interconnects
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A SPACE LUBRICANT
Lubricants for space mechanisms must be able to withstand extreme temperatures with minimal changes in viscosity. Nye’s PFPE lubricants can withstand temperatures from –90 °C to +250 °C while Nye’s multiply-alkylated cyclopentane (MAC) lubricants have an operating range of -50 °C to 125 °C. If a space application requires the low outgassing and excellent wear performance of a MAC lubricant and the operating temperature is below -50 °C, engineers may, and do, consider adding a heater to their design that raises the temperature into the operating temperature range of MACs.
Components in space mechanisms are now expected to offer extended reliability. As the ability to service or replace these components is limited or non-existent, lubricants must be able to protect components for the entirety of their intended life. We offer ‘Lube-for-Life’ lubricants, meaning that they have long-life performance to ensure reliability and mission success for the entirety of your mission.
Lubricants with good film strength are recommended for space applications and ensure moving parts are coated to minimize contact and friction. MAC lubricants are known for resisting wear-related break down to protect components under heavy loads.
Outgassing is akin to evaporation; it is the release of smaller fractional molecules from a bulk liquid or solid material. Evaporation losses accelerate when operating in vacuum and compromise a lubricant's integrity over time. Lubricants with lower outgassing have a lower material loss and ensure longer-lasting lubrication.
Outgassed molecules can also condense on surfaces and adversely affect the optical or surface properties of the material onto which it condenses. Optical components including sensors, lenses, and solar cells are an example of applications where outgassing condensation can compromise mission performance. Lubricant outgassing is measured in total mass loss (TML) and collected volatile condensable materials (CVCM) per ASTM E595. Nye’s lubricants are tested to this standard and fall well below the acceptable outgassing limits determined by the space industry.
Nye space oils and greases are formulated using two different base oils: Perfluoropolyethers (PFPE) and multiply-alkylated cyclopentane (MAC), each offering specific benefits.
Nye Lubricants holds the exclusive distribution rights to Pennzane™ multiply-alkylated cyclopentane (MAC) fluids. Unlike other lubricants on the market, Pennzane lubricants are the only greases and oils that offer the unique combination of extreme wear protection, low outgassing, and additive compatibility for optimal performance in space applications. If your application requires low outgassing and an extremely wide operating temperature range but does not require the extreme wear performance or specialized additives of a MAC lubricant, a Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) from our NyeTorr® or NyeClean® product line is recommended.
Nye has developed PFPE lubricants using the most advanced technology available, like NyeTorr® 6350EL, which offers significantly improved load-carrying ability and much longer operating life versus heritage PFPE technology.
TML = Total Mass Loss
CVCM = Collected Volatile Condensable Materials
TML = Total Mass Loss
CVCM = Collected Volatile Condensable Materials
SATELLITES
Lubricants play a key role in preventing friction and wear of satellite components such as reaction wheels, scan mirror assemblies, camera optics, and other components that require angular or precision contact bearings. Nye has been working with leaders in the space industry for over 65 years and launched our lubricants for the first time in a satellite 27 years ago.
Our aerospace lubricants are designed for components that require low outgassing, low particle generation and extreme temperature performance. These lubricants are also what we like to call ‘Lube for Life’ meaning that they have long-life performance to ensure reliability and mission success for the entirety of both long and short-term missions.
SATELLITE SYSTEMS & LUBRICANTS
This system is responsible for positioning the solar panels in order to harvest sun light that can be turned into energy. MAC lubricants fortified with both antioxidants and anti-wear additives will help ensure long life of components.
Harmonic Gear Drive - Rheolube® 2004 & Synthetic Oil 2001-3PB
Slip Ring in Power Transfer Assemblies - Rheolube® 2001
This system moves in a horizontal motion to scan targeted areas for imaging. Lubricating the bearings within the assembly will reduce vibration, and allow the system to move in a quick, smooth motion.
Bearings - Synthetic Oil 2001-3PBNP
By providing attitude control, reaction wheels are the control gyros for satellites. A medium viscosity MAC grease will operate through high-torque adjustments and can withstand extreme temperatures.
Barrier Film - NyeBar® Type-P
Bearings - Rheolube® 2000
This instrument supports and spins the satellite throughout the mission. The bearings within the assembly are in constant rotation and require a MAC grease fortified for friction reduction.
Angular Contact Bearings - Rheolube® 2000 & Synthetic Oil 2001
Lubricants for Satellite Systems
TML = Total Mass Loss
CVCM = Collected Volatile Condensable Materials
IN-VACUUM & CLEANROOM
NyeTorr®, NyeClean® and NyeVac® are chemically stable, non-toxic, low-vapor-pressure, synthetic lubricants designed for cleanroom and in-vacuum applications such as those found in the semiconductor and aerospace industries. These lubricants typically contain a PTFE thickener and a cyclopentane (MAC) or perfluoropolyether (PFPE) base oil which are well suited for wide temperature applications where exposure to harsh chemicals may be a concern.
These lubricants improve the performance of bearings, linear guides, ball and lead screws, and seals by:
- Protecting against friction & wear
- Preventing corrosion
- Extending component life
- Ensuring component reliability
- Preventing contamination
- Controlling precision motion
PFPE vs MAC LUBRICANTS
The NyeClean® product line consists of PFPE chemistries while the NyeTorr® product line consists of both PFPE and MAC chemistries. Both PFPE and MAC lubricants are recommended for vacuum environments because of their low vapor pressures and low outgassing properties. PFPE lubricants offer better high temperature performance (up to 250 °C) when compared to MAC lubricants (up to 150 °C). Additionally, PFPE lubricants offer inherent chemical inertness, which translates to unsurpassed resistance to oxidation and hydrolytic degradation, and provides excellent elastomer compatibility. Due to their unique base oil chemistry and additive packages, MAC lubricants provide superior wear protection and bearing life performance. Most MAC and PFPE products are ultrafiltered. NyeTorr® and NyeClean products comply with PFOA regulations.
NyeTorr® lubricants are recommended for applications operating under high vacuum and high temperature where contamination is a concern. NyeTorr® base oils are processed to offer the lowest outgassing of any lubricant from Nye. To ensure low particle and low outgassing qualities, each lot is ultrafiltered and tested per ASTM E595 to ensure the products meet vacuum stability requirements.
PFPE LUBRICANTS
MAC LUBRICANTS
NyeClean® lubricants are recommended for cleanroom or low vacuum applications such as those found in back-end semiconductor manufacturing. These lubricants offer good outgassing performance, although higher than what is found in NyeTorr® products, and excellent particle generation properties.
NyeVac® oils are recommended for bearings and other components found in vacuum and turbomolecular pumps. These ester-based oils offer good high temperature and wear performance.
METAL CUTTING & FABRICATION
FUCHS retains a diverse portfolio of high-performance metal cutting coolants to support aerospace grade material fabrication in the manufacture of spacecraft, satellite, and componentry.
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ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
FUCHS Lubricants has a complete line of dielectric greases designed specifically to address application requirements for contact protection, insertion force, sealing, temperature limits and material compatibility.