The Lubrolene WFR series of water-free die-release products provide unrivalled release, quality, cost and sustainability performance for high pressure die cast engine, powertrain and structural automotive parts. Global leaders in porosity sealing, Ultraseal International Group is the sole European and Americas supplier of Lubrolene® die release agents and provides a unique turnkey solution for die casting customers. Find out more at: https://www.ultraseal-impregnation.com/die-release-agent/

1. Lubrolene Water-Free
Die Release Technology
ultraseal-impregnation.com/die-release
In recent years there has been a shift towards light-weighting in
the automotive industry, with increasing use of aluminium for
powertrain and structural components. Structural casting is now
being adopted in higher volume, mid-sized vehicle platforms that
need to be manufactured to a consistent quality in multiple global
locations.
THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION
For an industry looking to cast larger components with higher process
temperatures, and also meet the challenges of maintaining product
quality, improving productivity and reducing costs, Lubrolene WFR
provides the best solution. Significantly reducing the quantities of
lubricant required, Lubrolene negates the need for die cooling by
lubricant and delivers a high adhesion efficiency and more effective
film formation. Quality is improved through better molten metal flow
and reduction of the quantity of trapped gases due to no external
water-cool, as well as the fact that WFR can be applied at higher
temperatures than conventional water-based lubricants, meaning
there is less thermal stress on dies. The avoidance of heat cracks
extends the service life of the dies significantly, providing major
cost savings.
MEETING TODAY’S CHALLENGES
With cavities increasingly present in complex pieces,
Lubrolene WFR-EC – which features an electrostatic charge – ensures
an effective and efficient release. Creating a wrap-around effect,
the electrostatic charge delivers consistent, uniform coverage,
irrespective of die complexity. Using a specially-developed
electrostatic spray gun, the application of Lubrolene WFR-EC further
reduces soldering problems, providing full, unrivalled coverage.
Reduced spray time, increased die life and a low reject rate all lead to
Discover how Lubrolene water-free release agents and spray
technology improve die casting productivity and provide unrivalled
release, quality, cost and sustainability performance.

2. enhanced benefits and cost savings for manufacturers. Combine that
with zero wastewater from the process and reduced CO2 emissions,
as a result of reduced air blow, and the environmental impacts of
utilising an efficient die release lubricant cannot be ignored.
EFFICIENTLY MAXIMISING COVERAGE
If we think about the main purpose of a release agent – to facilitate
clean part release and provide a release film to prevent die soldering
– achieving uniform coverage is critical to both process reliability and
the overall quality of the final product.
The use of traditional water-based lubricants sees the liquid
evaporate when it comes into contact with the hot steel die, leaving
an amount of lubricated coating. This is a critical stage as too much
lubricant means the liquid cannot evaporate fast enough when the
molten metal is injected; while too little lubricant could result in poor
material flow or die-soldering, ultimately causing surface defects
and porosity, compromising the overall quality of the part. As the
industry evolves to meet current modern demands for complex single
piece components, die complexity is making this issue increasingly
prevalent as manufacturers face the challenge of achieving a
consistent level of lubricant coverage across the entire die. This
includes cavities where excessive amounts of water-based lubricants
typically remain, causing cold flow, porosity and staining on the
casting surface.
The addition of electrostatic charge to Lubrolene WFR-EC also
dramatically increases adhesion properties and provides more
consistent oil film formation– critical in achieving uniform die
coverage and a smooth release. Beyond benefits around quality,
greater percentage levels of adhesion lead to reduced waste and
improved cycle times.
Typically, applying a water-based die release agent with an air spray
gun achieves just 4% adhesion efficiency. Using Lubrolene’s specially
developed spray gun technology improves the efficient application
of Lubrolene WFR-EC and achieves >80% adhesion efficiency when
compared to traditional water‑based die lubricants.
The specially developed spray head uses an electrostatic
charge to deliver optimum coverage

3. INCREASING PROCESS SPEED WITH REDUCED SPRAY TIME
When looking to improve the efficiency of a process, it is often easy to overlook stages which have
always been executed in a particular way. In die casting, the application of die lubricant is one such
example. As a short-cycle and repetitive process, the saving of just a few seconds in the die casting
process can lead to significant time savings and impact directly on productivity and costs as long as
the tool has been designed accordingly.
If we look at standard air spray application guns, they need to spray from multiple angles to deliver
full die coverage and adhesion. In practice, that takes time and can compromise quality with uneven
levels of coverage – particularly in more complex dies. By using electrostatic attraction, however, the
Lubrolene electrostatic gun can uniformly cover and adhere to a much broader area, with less need
to spray from various angles.
Lubrolene WFR-EC and specially-designed Lubrolene spray heads can often reduce spray time for
even the largest >4,000T machines to under 10 seconds. That means reduced cycle times, increased
throughput and greater productivity can be achieved. Furthermore, with Lubrolene die spraying
equipment being modular in design, it can be easily adapted to suit any size of die casting machine,
while its low-maintenance design improves reliability, bringing about potentially significant benefits
for the die casting industry.
INCREASING UPTIME AND REDUCING COSTS THROUGH EXTENDED TOOL LIFE
The use of traditional water-based release agents gives rapid die-surface cooling, leading to extreme
temperature fluctuations which can quickly lead to the formation of cracks on the die surface as
a result of repeated compressive and tensile stresses. With cracks typically starting after several
hundred shots, this reduces the tool’s service life to <120,000 shots for a typical die casting machine.
Thanks to its very small spray amount, the rapid cooling effect prevalent in traditional methods is
negated when using Lubrolene WFR-EC, almost eliminating the thermal stresses which dies would
typically be subjected to. With this contributing to extending service life by up to six times, cost
savings can be more than €500,000 per annum per machine. Extended service life can also mean
fewer tools are required, and has been proven to deliver further programme cost savings of up
to 20% in previous installations.
ultraseal-impregnation.com/die-release

4. MARKET LEADING DIE LUBRICANT SPRAY SYSTEMS
The latest designs of Ultraseal’s turnkey electrostatic spray installations take the
control and flexibility of the Lubrolene process to a new level.
The new Lubrolene super-panel range, incorporating up to 8 electrostatic guns,
includes the following:
• Precise control of atomising air pressure to further control adhesion on
difficult areas of the die such as deep ribs
• Total control of pattern air giving maximum options for wide or narrow/deep
spread of lubrication during the spray cycle
• Flexible pump speed to further control spray volume/second during the
spray cycle
• An automated and calibrated HMI calculation of spray volume per shot
• The option for flow sensors on the 2.5mm ID of the oil line for additional
security of production
Added to the reliability, repeatability and exactness of the system, the
inherently lower weight Lubrolene spray head provides perhaps the only viable
option for efficient die release in the anticipated new era of 4,500-6,000T die
casting machines.
Find out more
To find out more about our market leading die release technology, please get in touch:
t: +44 (0) 2476 258444
e: sales@ultraseal-impregnation.com
w: ultraseal-impregnation.com/die-release
The Lubrolene super-panel range offers
precise control for increased reliability