Finding a Fast Curing Adhesive to Bond Electronic Components
A customer was working on a bonding application involving small quartz elements wherein a fast setup and cure were critical. The other requirement was that the cured adhesive needed to be optically clear. The problem was brought to Master Bond's technical expert Michael Wollman, who analyzes application oriented issues and provides solutions in a variety of industries. With over 30 years experience managing various production facilities, he has a vast understanding of the proper use of adhesives in manufacturing.
Asking the Right Questions
What are the configurations of the parts? What are the bonding areas? Would the bonding areas have 100% accessibility to UV (~ 365 nm) or LED (~ 405 nm) light for curing? What are the operating temperatures? Would the adhesive be in the optical path? If so, would there be specific transmission and refractive index needs that have to be met? What are the requirements for the pot life and the cure time?
Choosing the Right Solution
Analysis revealed that several options were available. Based on the answers to the above questions and making certain assumptions, Wollman recommended a few options to consider: EP30-4, UV24TKLO, and LED401LV.
EP30-4?is an optically clear, low viscosity, two component room temperature curing epoxy system. It sets up and cures quickly at room temperature.
UV24TKLO?and?LED401LV?are optically clear, moderate viscosity systems. The assumption made here would be that the application areas are accessible to UV (~ 365 nm) and LED (~ 405 nm) light respectively. Also, UV24TKLO meets NASA low outgassing standards.
In addition, in certain applications where the optical clarity of the product is not critical, some other products that can be used are two-part epoxy systems EP65HT-1 and EP51M; one-component EP17HT-3 and one-part silicone system MasterSil 711.
