Optical Adhesives / UV Adhesives / UV Curing Equipments / UV LED Equipments / UV LED Spot Equipments

Optically Clear Adhesives for Industrial Manufacturing

On an industrial line, an optically clear adhesive often has to bond more than glass to glass. It joins glass to metal brackets, plastic lenses to circuit boards, and windows to FR4 housings in one pass, staying clear through the plant's temperature and humidity extremes. A multi-substrate clear adhesive makes that practical. The Multi-Substrate Requirement Single-purpose adhesives force an assembly to be broken into steps: one material for the glass joint, another for the metal, a third for the plastic. A multi-substrate optically clear adhesive collapses that into a single dispense-and-cure operation, which cuts cycle time, simplifies the bill of materials, and removes the compatibility problems that arise where two different adhesives meet. To do this the adhesive has to wet and bond dissimilar surface energies, from high-energy metal and glass to lower-energy engineering plastics, and hold all of those interfaces through service. What Incure Optik Clear Grades Offer Incure formulates the Optik line of light-curable adhesives, including optically clear grades built for mixed-substrate industrial bonding: Multi-substrate adhesion to metals, glass, many plastics, and FR4 in one application, with lap-shear strength into the thousands of psi High clarity with no yellowing, so the bond works in a visible optical path Acid-free chemistry that will not corrode adjacent conductors or metals Tack-free cure leaving a clean, residue-free surface Rapid cure under UV, visible, or LED light, suited to inline production Low shrinkage and demonstrated toughness through thermal cycling Low water absorption and good moisture and temperature resistance Designing It Into a Process Confirm adhesion on your actual substrates. Plastics in particular vary widely; test the specific grade of polycarbonate, acrylic, or filled resin you use, in the surface condition it arrives in. Plasma or flame treatment lifts adhesion on difficult plastics. Set the bond line with the fixture. With a flowable clear adhesive, spacers or hard stops control thickness, which keeps optical path length and stress uniform. Cure with line of sight. Present the transparent element to the lamp and route a secondary cure to any shadowed area. Size the lamp to the part, whether that is a flood lamp or an inline conveyor curing system. Account for mismatch. When one substrate is metal and another is glass or plastic, their expansion rates differ, and the bond line takes the strain over temperature. The mechanism is covered in how CTE mismatch causes adhesive bond failure. For help qualifying an optically clear adhesive across your substrate set, Email Us with your material list and process conditions. Typical Applications Multi-substrate clear adhesives bond display and lens stacks to housings, cover glass to sensor modules, sight windows into equipment, and optical components onto printed circuit assemblies across industrial manufacturing. The broader comparison of UV-curable versus two-part chemistry for transparent bonding and the guide to matching a plastic-bonding grade to substrate and mechanical demand are useful when plastics are in the joint. Surface Energy and Plastic Preparation The reason a multi-substrate adhesive is harder to formulate than a glass-only one comes down to surface energy.…

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August 21, 2024
Epoxy

Incure Epo-Weld™ UHB-100: Ultra High Bond Epoxy Adhesive

Most structural epoxies are strong in shear and fragile in peel, so they crack at the edges when a joint flexes. Incure Epo-Weld™ UHB-100 is a rubber-toughened two-part epoxy built to hold high strength while still tolerating impact and vibration. What UHB-100 is Epo-Weld™ UHB-100 is the unfilled, rubber-modified grade in the Ultra High Bond family. The elastomer phase dispersed through the cured epoxy blunts crack growth, so the adhesive keeps working after an impact that would shatter a rigid bond line. Compared with the ceramic-filled UHB-200, UHB-100 has a lower viscosity, which lets it wet out tight joints and penetrate slightly porous surfaces before it gels. Typical service temperature runs from about -53°C to 176°C (-55°F to 350°F). The cured adhesive resists a wide range of solvents, fuels, and dilute acids and bases, and it bonds effectively to metals, glass, and ceramics. Key properties and what they mean for the joint High lap shear and peel strength. Peel resistance is what keeps a bond from unzipping at the edge when the assembly twists. UHB-100 provides both, which is unusual for an epoxy at this strength level. Low viscosity. Easier wet-out means fewer voids and more real contact area. It also makes UHB-100 practical for thin bond lines and for filling small gaps by capillary action. Wide temperature range. When you bond dissimilar materials, every temperature change loads the joint because the two substrates expand at different rates. A toughened bond line absorbs that movement. The mechanism is explained in this guide to how CTE mismatch causes adhesive bond failure. Chemical resistance. The cured matrix holds up to cleaning agents, coolants, and hydraulic fluids over long exposure. Where UHB-100 fits Aerospace and defense: brackets, standoffs, and sensor housings exposed to vibration and thermal cycling. Automotive and transportation: bonding trim, sensors, and structural inserts where road input would fatigue a brittle adhesive. Electronics and semiconductor equipment: securing subassemblies that must survive shipping and handling shock. Industrial equipment and machinery: attaching wear plates, covers, and instrument mounts on vibrating equipment. Renewable energy hardware: bonding enclosure components and mounting hardware in wind and solar installations subject to wind loading and daily thermal swings. Joint design and bond line control Aim for a bond line of roughly 0.1 to 0.25 mm. Too thin and the joint is starved and stress-concentrated; too thick and shear strength drops while thermal stress rises. Design the joint so the adhesive carries load in shear or compression rather than peel or cleavage, and include a mechanical locating feature so the bond is not the only thing resisting motion. On large flat overlaps, small glass-bead spacers help hold a consistent gap. If you want a second opinion on a joint before committing to production, Email Us with your substrates, load case, and environment. Surface preparation Steel and stainless: solvent degrease, abrade to bright metal, then a final solvent wipe and full dry. Aluminum: degrease and abrade, or use a chemical etch or conversion coating for the most durable bond, since…

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August 12, 2024
Epoxy

Incure Epo-Weld™ UHB-200: High Tensile Strength Epoxy Adhesive

When a bonded joint has to survive drop shock, sustained vibration, and wide temperature swings without cracking at the bond line, a rigid structural epoxy is often the wrong tool. Incure Epo-Weld™ UHB-200 is built for exactly that gap. What UHB-200 is designed to do Epo-Weld™ UHB-200 is a two-part, rubber-modified structural epoxy in the Ultra High Bond family. The rubber phase toughens the cured matrix so the adhesive absorbs impact energy and damps vibration instead of transferring the full load into brittle substrates such as glass and ceramic. The result is a joint that keeps high lap shear strength while also delivering meaningful peel strength, which unmodified epoxies rarely provide. The adhesive maintains performance across a service range of roughly -53°C to 162°C (-55°F to 325°F) and resists a broad set of solvents, fuels, and dilute acids and bases. It bonds well to metals, glass, and technical ceramics such as alumina, making it a practical choice where dissimilar materials meet. Key properties and why they matter Combined shear and peel strength. A joint that is strong in shear but weak in peel fails at the edges when it flexes. The toughened chemistry in UHB-200 raises peel resistance so the bond line tolerates edge loading and prying. Shock and vibration absorption. The cured adhesive has enough elongation to move with the assembly, reducing fatigue cracking in components exposed to repetitive vibration. Wide thermal range. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) differences between a metal housing and a ceramic or glass insert generate shear stress at every temperature change. A slightly compliant bond line spreads that stress instead of concentrating it. For background on this failure mechanism, see how CTE mismatch causes adhesive bond failure. Chemical resistance. Cured UHB-200 holds up to cleaning solvents, hydraulic fluids, and process chemistry that would soften weaker adhesives. Where UHB-200 fits Aerospace and defense: bonding sensor mounts, antenna elements, and structural brackets that see launch vibration and thermal cycling. Automotive and transportation: attaching glass and ceramic elements to metal frames where road vibration would fatigue a rigid bond. Electronics and semiconductor equipment: securing components and subassemblies that must survive handling shock during transport and installation. Industrial machinery: bonding wear parts, guards, and instrumentation housings on equipment that runs with continuous mechanical excitation. Scientific and test instrumentation: mounting optical and ceramic elements in analytical equipment where alignment must hold through temperature drift. Getting the joint design right UHB-200 performs best in a controlled bond line, typically 0.1 to 0.25 mm. A starved joint concentrates stress; an over-thick joint reduces shear strength and increases the effect of CTE mismatch. Where possible, design the joint to load the adhesive in shear or compression rather than peel or cleavage, and add a mechanical feature such as a shoulder or pin so the adhesive is not the only thing resisting movement. Have a joint geometry you are unsure about? Email Us with the substrate pair, the load case, and the temperature range, and we can point you to the right grade.…

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August 12, 2024
UV Adhesives

UV Adhesives for Bonding Flexible Tubing Sets and Fluid Connectors

A fluid-transfer set spends its working life being bent, coiled, tugged, and pressurized. The bonds where flexible tubing meets a rigid connector are where that abuse concentrates, so the adhesive has to stretch with the tubing instead of forming a hard, brittle collar that cracks. The flex-fatigue problem at a tube joint When a soft PVC or thermoplastic elastomer tube is bonded into a rigid polycarbonate or ABS fitting, there is an abrupt change in stiffness right at the edge of the bond. Every flex cycle puts a stress concentration there. A rigid, high-modulus adhesive makes it worse by extending the stiff zone; the tube then fatigues and splits just past the connector. An adhesive with high elongation and a lower cured modulus spreads the bending strain over a longer length and moves with the tube. Incure's Cyro-Weld™ 5000-series includes grades formulated for this, with high elongation and good adhesion to flexible substrates, such as 5013VT and 5004F. They cure in seconds under UV or visible light, are formulated to meet ISO 10993-5, and are validated for EtO and Gamma sterilization. The very thixotropic VT grade holds its shape in the annular gap between tube and fitting rather than running out before cure. Where these adhesives are used Bonding flexible tubing into luer and barbed connectors Assembling drip chambers, spikes, and Y-sites in fluid-transfer sets Joining flexible and rigid sections of drainage and irrigation sets Bonding strain-relief boots and grommets to cable and tube exits Sealing flexible bladder and reservoir components to rigid ports All external, single-use fluid-handling components. Making the joint The tube-to-fitting joint is usually an annular gap a few tenths of a millimeter wide. The adhesive is applied to the fitting bore or the tube end, the parts are assembled to a stop, and the joint is cured through the translucent tube or fitting wall. Because at least one part is often clear, the cure light can reach the bond line directly; where a fitting is opaque, a visible-light-responsive grade or a secondary cure mechanism completes the bond. Incure's guidance on matching a spot-lamp light guide to reach and working distance and what a light guide does in a spot-lamp system covers curing these small, curved joints on a line. Surface preparation for flexible substrates Flexible PVC and elastomers carry mobile plasticizers and process oils that migrate to the surface. Wiping the tube end with a clean solvent immediately before bonding removes that weak boundary layer. Some elastomers also benefit from a brief plasma treatment. Incure's discussion of matching a plastic-bonding grade to the substrate and mechanical demand covers the trade-offs for soft substrates. Why elongation and CTE both matter A flexible-to-rigid joint is stressed two ways: mechanically, every time the set is handled, and thermally, whenever it warms or cools, because the soft tube and the rigid fitting expand at very different rates. Incure's explanation of how CTE mismatch causes bond failure covers the thermal side. A high-elongation adhesive absorbs both kinds of movement; a rigid…

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August 10, 2024