Master Bond UV15DC80 is a special dual cure epoxy based system which offers a primary cure utilizing UV light along with a secondary heat curing mechanism. This system addresses the problem of curing areas on parts that do not allow UV light curing because of “shadowing” issues. Most noteworthy is that the heat cure portion can be initiated at only 80°C rather than at the more common 125°C. Another very useful feature of a dual cure UV is that it allows for rapid fixturing and then enables the cure to be completed by adding heat. As alluded to above, a secondary cure at 80°C is not very common and highly desirable because of the sensitivity of many plastics to elevated temperatures. Also, the decrease of fixturing time to seconds is highly advantageous in a production environment, or when fixturing is a laborious and expensive proposition. One innovative use of a dual cure UV is to fixture two optically opaque substrates, such as metals, with the UV light exposure and then completing the cure with heat.
This moderate viscosity system features a cationic cure mechanism (for the UV portion) and has exceptionally low shrinkage upon curing. UV15DC80 is not oxygen inhibited and has outstanding chemical resistance to many acids, bases, fuels and solvents. It is a superb electrical insulator and bonds well to metals, glass, ceramics and most plastics. UV15DC80 has a service temperature range of -80°F to +350°F.
If there are no shadows, straight UV curing in thicknesses of 0.010” to 0.020” will usually take 10-20 seconds with UV light at 365 nm with 20-40 milliwatts/cm2 of energy. Areas not cured by shadowing, can be cured at 80°C for 2-3 hours. Post curing for 2-4 hours will help optimize properties. If possible, 1-2 hours at 125°C will promote curing even further. The 80°C secondary cure is truly a remarkable innovation. It has wide applicability in the optical, electronic and optoelectronic industries.
Product Advantages
- One component system; no mixing needed
- Dual cure capability; UV, heat, or both
- No solvents or diluents
- No oxygen inhibition
- Bonds well to a wide variety of substrates
