NOK Klüber Develops New Low-Dew-Point Grease for Ultra-Dry Environments

First Among Domestic Lubricant Manufacturers (*1), Contributing to Higher Manufacturing Efficiency for Next-Generation Batteries
Unveiled for the First Time at BATTERY JAPAN (International Rechargeable Battery Expo) Secondary Battery Exhibition

NOK Corporation’s Group company NOK Klüber Co., Ltd., (Head Office: Shibadaimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Executive Officer: Ichiro Yamane; hereinafter “NOK Klüber”) has developed “Low-Dew-Point Grease,” a lubricant for ultra-dry environments with dew points of -50°C to -70°C (-58°F to -94°F), used in the manufacturing processes for lithium-ion and all-solid-state batteries. The product helps prevent insufficient lubrication in drive components such as bearings and ball screws and contributes to longer equipment service life. 

The Low-Dew-Point Grease will be unveiled for the first time at BATTERY JAPAN (International Rechargeable Battery Expo), held in March 2026.

Background to Development

The newly developed “Low-Dew-Point Grease” is designed to deliver stable lubrication in battery manufacturing processes under ultra-dry conditions. Manufacturing processes for lithium-ion batteries and all-solid-state batteries require ultra-dry environments in which moisture is removed as completely as possible. However, in such environments, the frictional resistance of conventional lubricants increases, reducing lubricity.

To address this challenge, NOK Klüber developed proprietary testing methods by modifying existing test equipment to reproduce ultra-dry conditions, establishing techniques to evaluate lubricity under those conditions. This enabled the selection of lubricating components capable of maintaining a stable lubricating film and led to a proprietary formulation design that delivers lubricating performance without containing specific metal elements that could affect battery performance.

In friction tests reproducing a dew point of  -50°C (-58°F), the grease was shown to suppress increases in frictional resistance over time and maintain stable lubricating performance. These low-friction characteristics not only reduce wear on manufacturing equipment components to extend service life but also contribute to higher productivity through stable equipment operation.

Features of the Newly Developed Low-Dew-Point Grease

•    Provides excellent lubricity in low-dew-point environments, helping extend the service life of  manufacturing equipment.
•    Does not contain specific metal elements (Cu, Zn, Fe) in its raw materials, reducing the risk of battery performance defects caused by such elements.
•    Also delivers excellent lubricity in atmospheric environments, contributing to improved energy efficiency in equipment.

In addition to this product, NOK Klüber offers a range of lubricants designed for cleanroom environments.

 ISOFLEX TOPAS NCA 152

•    A low-particle grease for cleanroom use. It helps prevent manufacturing defects caused by fine particles generated by production equipment.
　 https://products.nokgrp.com/low-particle-grease-for-cleanroom_basicinfo.html
•    This product generates a level of grease-derived particles.
•    It has obtained Cleanroom Suitable Materials (CSM) certification from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany (*3).
•    Because it does not contain specific metallic components (Cu, Zn, Fe), it helps reduce factors that can impair battery performance.

 BATTERY JAPAN (International Rechargeable Battery Expo) :  Exhibition Information

•    Dates: March 17 (Tue.) to 19 (Thu.), 2026
•    Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo)
For details, please refer to the official website.
https://www.wsew.jp/hub/ja-jp/about/bj.html (Japanese Only)

1  First among domestic lubricant manufacturers: Based on NOK Klüber’s own research as of February 2026, using a keyword survey of publicly available information from domestic lubricant manufacturers for “low-dew-point.”

2  Low-dew-point: The temperature at which water vapor in the air cools and begins to form droplets is called the dew point. A dew point of -50°C  (-58°F) refers to an ultra-dry state in which droplets begin to form at  -50°C (-58°F).

3   Fraunhofer Institute: Europe’s largest applied research organization, headquartered in Germany. Its Cleanroom Suitable Materials (CSM) certification is widely recognized as an objective indicator of the suitability of materials and products for cleanroom environments.