Follow-Up on Oil-Free Lubricants for the Steel Cold Rolling Process

Lubricants free of mineral oil or polyol esters potentially offer significant benefits regarding lubricant system maintenance, strip cleanliness and sustainability. The EU-funded project RollOilFree II involves a university and five partners in or related to the industry. The project explores the performance in laboratory testing and industrial rolling trials, and in relation to downstream surface quality and several environmental aspects. In 2025, the development of the first oil-free lubricants was presented, including extensive lab testing and one pilot mill trial. This follow-up will discuss the long-term stability, further product improvement and additional pilot mill trials of the oil-free lubricants.

Authors:

Pablo Bakermans | Quaker Houghton
 

Leon Jacobs | Tata Steel Nederland Technology BV
 

Session Chairs:

Mike Allega | The Timken Company
 

Will Hartley | Quaker Houghton
 

Sathwik Reddy Toom | ArcelorMittal Global R&D - East Chicago