Introduction to Manufacturing Technology (BFT 218/3)

The report assesses the current state of chemistry and chemical engineering at the interface with materials science and identifies challenges for research. Recent advances are blurring the distinction between chemistry and materials science and are enabling the creation of new materials that, to date, have only been predicted by theory. These advances include a greater ability to construct materials from molecular components, to design materials for a desired function, to understand molecular "self-assembly, and to improve processes by which the material is "engineered" into the final product.

Lubricating grease (or grease, to use a short name), leaving aside synthetic grease for the moment, is arguably amongst the highest “value added” petroleum products. Lubricating greases play very crucial role in the performance of automobiles, industrial machinery and appliances which almost every one of us use, rely upon or work with everyday. Lubricating greases account for about 5% of the global consumption of the lubricants, which in turn account for about 1% of all petroleum products. Thus in volume terms, lubricating greases constitute a relatively small, specialized industry. Nonetheless, the importance of lubricating greases cannot be overemphasised. The world would quite literally grind to a halt without lubricating greases.