Assessment of Lubricants for Aluminum Forming

A test has been devised by which lubricants for sheet metal forming may be assessed for their lubrication capability and their effect on galling. An apparatus was constructed which simulates drawbeads, a mechanism which controls sheet metal flow into a die. The load to draw sheet metal through the simulated drawbeads varies for different lubricants. Comparison to the load for a standard lubricant gives a lubricity rating. Lubricants are also rated for their effect on galling. The lubricity rating obtained by this laboratory method correlates with the performance of the lubricants in production runs.