A Close Look at the OMC₂ Technology

Reading time: ca. 5 min. | An article by Florian Wagner | TUNAP Blog

What makes TUNAP's high-performance lubricants so unique? The additive molecules used are of particular importance here. This also applies to TUNAP's OMC₂ additive technology, which makes the decisive difference compared to conventional lubricants. We therefore want to take a closer look at this technology: How does it work, what are its strengths and where is it used?

Let's start at the beginning: What does OMC₂ mean? The abbreviation stands for organic molybdenum compound, and the technology is also known as plastic deformation or surface engineering. These terms already give an idea of what happens to surfaces that come into contact with OMC₂ lubricants. The active complex of the OMC₂ additive technology intervenes in the structure of the metal surfaces: It leads to the so-called micro-smoothing effect.

What can you imagine by this? The greater the pressure, the more effectively the additive molecules attach themselves to the surfaces and form a shear-stable and lubricating film. Now it gets interesting: Instead of the unevenness of the components being rubbed off, the surfaces begin to deform on the nanoscale, so that the microscopic "peaks" and roughnesses are smoothed in. Hence, the term micro-smoothing effect.

This leads to an enlargement of the contact areas and consequently to an increase in the load-bearing capacity as well as to an improved pressure absorption capacity. The OMC₂ components migrate further into the metal surfaces under increasing load and form an effective protective layer.

The direct consequences: Friction, heat generation and component wear are extremely minimized. Indirectly, this means an efficiency boost in many respects: The energy savings lead to lower CO₂ emissions, the reduced wear to higher machine availability and lower material and repair costs.

How does OMC₂ compare directly with conventional lubricants? Various tests and competitive comparisons show that OMC₂ additive technology is in a different league in terms of performance:

In one test, we ran a power tool in continuous operation with two different lubricants: At first with the reference grease, then with the TUNGREASE OMC₂-2 plus. The result was clear: The power tool with the reference grease already ceased to operate after 82 hours of continuous use. With TUNGREASE OMC₂-2 plus, the power tool continued to run tirelessly after 250 hours, like the Duracell bunny like in the TV commercials.

The superiority of OMC₂ technology is also demonstrated on our two-wheel chain test rig, where we can simulate bike races and measure the efficiency of different lubricants on the chain. Our tests show that OMC₂ lubricants reduce the coefficient of friction by up to 30 %.

Applied to a real bike race, this means that if two equally strong riders were to compete against each other, one of them could gain a lead of one minute and 46 seconds over the other on a 250-kilometer stage: Simply because his bicycle chain is lubricated with OMC₂ grease.

The test of the German BIKE magazine issue 11/2020 also proves that the TUNAP OMC₂ additive technology is the class leader in chain lubricants. In the process, 18 lubricants were tested and compared with each other.

In terms of power loss with simultaneously measurable and confirmed time savings, the "Chain Oil Ultimate" from TUNAP Sports was unbeatable and was consequently crowned test winner.