| About SLIP Plate® |
Ingenuity. Versatility. Integrity.Our guiding principles – ingenuity, versatility and integrity – enable us to provide solutions that ensure our customers' success today and tomorrow. We are dedicated to continuous product and graphite research and development. |
SLIP Plate History |
| In 1975, Superior Graphite Co. was approached by a group of railroad maintenance engineers with a problem concerning the lubrication of switch plates for railroad tracks. The lubricants on the market at the time were not reliable, and under certain weather conditions, caused the switches to stick. The engineers wondered if a new graphite coating could be developed to help sticking switch plates. As a result of the challenge, Superior Graphite Co. engineers and lab researchers developed SLIP Plate® dry film technology. |
| This new technology, sold for a number of years as SLIP Plate OEM, was tested in the field and approved by the major railroads as a successful solution. The dry film coating was not affected by temperature extremes, and did not attract dirt, grit, ice, water or snow. Over the next years, additional SLIP Plate formulations were developed to meet the needs of the railroads, along with the agricultural, consumer and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) markets. |
| In 2005, SLIP Plate engineers were presented with a new challenge in the railroad market-the need for a new graphite based product with a higher flash point to aid in transportation and storage. The key issue was that the new coating needed to be a dry film, capable of drying in approximately the same amount of time that the original low flash point material did. Working closely with Industry Railway Suppliers and the major railroads, Superior Graphite Co. was able to gain a field test and approval of the new SLIP Plate OEM-8 formulation. This new coating technology was the first on the market to meet exactly the needs of the railroads. |
| In 2006, SLIP Plate engineers were asked to aid in reducing maintenance downtime for commercial and consumer lawn mowing equipment. For a number of years SLIP Plate was marketed to aid in preventing wet grass clippings from accumulating on the undersides of mower decks. The product needed some improvements to increase durability. MowerGUARD™ was launched in 2006 as new solution to this issue. The new dry film formulation, using a newly developed graphite powder and binder system, proved to significantly reduce the amount of build up on the mowers versus the standard in both consumer and commercial field tests. Additional work continues on this formulation with the new MowerGUARD™ HD formulation scheduled for release sometime in 2007/2008. |
| In 2006, SLIP Plate engineers were challenged to develop a new graphite lubricant that would not build up, and would combine powerful cleaning agents with the lubricating power of a new graphite powder. Using over three decades of coating knowledge, Black Ice™ was developed and launched into the market for use in gun maintenance, military applications, fire fighting equipment maintenance, and consumer lawn and garden lubrication. Field tests showed that Black Ice’s graphite particles were able to molecularly bond to the surface features of the metal, but not strongly enough to cause buildup. Even when the graphite silvery grey coating was no longer visible, the product still continued to lubricate. |
| Today, SLIP Plate continues to evolve to meet the needs of framers, maintenance engineers, fire fighters, institutional maintenance personnel, janitors, commercial truck fleets, golf courses, plant engineers and the home consumer. Innovation, quality and consistency for over 30 years make SLIP Plate products the best on the market. Superior Graphite Co. continues to work to develop new graphite products and new coating technologies through active R&D programs and partnerships with major universities and industrial customers. |
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