Functional Products Inc.

"They're Right: Your High-VI Hydraulic Fluid Is Too Expensive" Formulation design and economics go hand-in-hand. Miss that balance and you end up with beautiful products that never get off the ground. In our latest TLT CMF Plus article, we demonstrate how viscosity modifier (VM) selection for high-VI hydraulic fluids (VI 140–220) can significantly impact both formulation cost and performance. Erik Willett, PhD, CLS, CLGS shares insights from our presentation at the 2026 STLE Annual Meeting on why Functional Products Inc. has spent over 40 years building a portfolio of competing VM technologies, and how that flexibility helps customers of all sizes bring competitive lubricants to market. And hydraulic fluids are just one part of our story. There's plenty to say on gear, grease, and more in the future. Read "They're Right: Your High-VI Hydraulic Fluid Is Too Expensive" in TLT Magazine here: https://lnkd.in/g94MMeTi Get in on the action with our updated VM portfolio: https://lnkd.in/gwDYbnMx #lubrication #lubricants #hydraulics

Formulating within the constraints of incidental food contact doesn't make the usual lubrication problems disappear; it just gives you a more selective toolbox for solving them. Food machinery lubricants still have to address viscosity, wear, corrosion, oxidation, foam, tack, and other familiar performance demands. Our food machinery portfolio includes specialty HX-1 options that give formulators additional ways to solve those problems while preserving room to differentiate the finished lubricant. Find another ingredient for your H1 formulation: https://lnkd.in/g_Wuj2MQ See what else is in the toolbox: https://lnkd.in/geyTnv5c #lubricants #lubrication #grease #tribology #metalworking

Friday Sci-Day: "Polybutenes" and "PIB" can mean different things. Butenes exist as different structural isomers: isobutylene, 1-butene, and 2-butene. Isolate and polymerize these feedstocks in different ways, and you can produce different polymer structures. "PIB" is produced from isobutylene alone, while commercial "polybutenes" or "PB" typically come from mixtures of C4 olefins. Does it matter? Different polymer and copolymer structures can exhibit differences in thermo-oxidative stability, low-temperature behavior, and viscometrics. The real question is whether those differences matter enough for your formulation. That's why we work with a variety of PIB and polybutene grades, or other chemistries altogether, depending on what the application requires. See what we're doing for viscosity these days: https://lnkd.in/gwDYbnMx #lubricants #grease #lubrication #tribology #rheology

Independent lubricant manufacturers are used to finding their own way. But supply disruptions, new specifications, regulatory changes, and emerging applications rarely come with ready-made answers. Some of the best solutions in our industry start with two people comparing notes on a problem neither one would have solved quite the same way. Functional Products is independent too, and we’ve built our business around helping formulators explore alternatives, compare approaches, and find practical paths forward. That’s a big part of why we keep showing up to ILMA (Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association) and it's so critical to sponsor events like the New Member Reception. See what we’ve been working on before we cross paths later this month: https://lnkd.in/giZmRSYK What's new? Our Technical Datasheet page now tracks the latest: https://lnkd.in/gQUed-BC #lubricants #lubrication #grease #tribology #metalworking #ILMA2026

“Make it stickier” sounds like a simple request. At the formulation bench, it rarely is. Polymer chemistry, molecular weight, viscosity, shear stability, color, diluent oil, treat rate, and cost all shape how a tackifier performs in the finished lubricant. Tack and mist control can ultimately affect lubricant loss, housekeeping, and worker exposure, so we don’t treat tack as a one-product problem. Our portfolio spans different chemistries and performance levels, from economical options for total-loss applications to specialized polymers for demanding lubrication. Compare our approaches to tack and mist control: https://lnkd.in/gDMKSYrg See what else is in the toolbox: https://lnkd.in/geyTnv5c #lubricants #lubrication #grease #tribology #metalworking

From the Midwest to the corners of the world at Lubricant Expo Europe. Thank you to Lumar France, Lumar Química S.L.U., Lumar Italia, Lumar Deutschland, and Lumar UK for decades of partnership bringing Functional Products technology from the outskirts of Cleveland Ohio to customers across Europe and beyond. American innovation. European expertise. Stronger together. #lubrication #lubricants #grease #metalworking #tribology