History of Fluoramics

Franklin Reick, a well-known New Jersey inventor, began Fluoramics, Inc. in a one-car garage in New Jersey in 1967.

Formula 8 and LOX-8.  While working for ITT in the late 1960s, Frank Reick realized nobody had a good system for sealing oxygen services for welding and steel making. In his spare time, he developed a pipe sealant, Formula-8, that could be used in gaseous and liquid oxygen applications. At that time, Linde was Fluoramics’ primary customer. LOX-8 Paste (originally named OXY-8) quickly followed. Both Formula-8 and LOX-8 were NSN’d by the military in 1968 for use by the U.S. Navy in Lakehurst New Jersey with their oxygen storage systems.

Tufoil Technology. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Frank, an accomplished pilot, was flying along the Hudson River and observed the smog layer from the car exhaust rising from the ground. To offset the problem of vehicle pollution, Frank engineered and patented Tufoil Technology, a technology that disperses and suspends PTFE particles in oil to make engines run efficiently. That led to the development of Tufoil Engine Treatment, and the subsequent line of Tufoil lubricants and greases.  Tufoil Technology means increased lubrication and less friction which leads to lower temperatures, quieter operations, less wear on equipment, and more efficient operations.

HinderRUST. In the late 1990s, Frank personally experienced corrosion problems when the brake lines on his car rusted out. He was frustrated by the many so-called rust inhibitors on the market that didn’t do anything to stop rust, so he created his own line of corrosion inhibitors – HinderRUST.  Hence, the first solvent-free, rust-stopping lubricant was born. There are currently six versions of HinderRUST on the market.

In the early days, the business was a family operation with three young boys helping fill jars, bottles, and boxes, and later helping to mix product and repair equipment. Frank’s wife took care of office functions. While all of the boys helped out with the business, the middle child, Gregg, showed an interest in Fluoramics from an early age, and graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. As the company grew, Fluoramics moved out of the home garage and into industrial settings. In 2015, Gregg joined forces with Fluoramics on the business side of the company as President & Chief Chemical Engineer of Fluoramics.