Adhesives offer many benefits over mechanical and thermal methods of assembly.

Adhesives distribute load evenly over a broad area, reducing stress on a joint. Adhesives are applied inside the joint and are nearly invisible within the assembly. They resist flex and vibrational stresses, and will form a seal as well as a bond to protect joints from corrosion. They join irregularly shaped surfaces more easily than fastening or welding. They add minimal weight to an assembly, create virtually no change in part dimensions or geometry, and can join dissimilar substrates and heat-sensitive materials.

Whether you need a UV-cure adhesive to assemble a medical device or a two-part epoxy to encapsulate electronics, you’ll find it at The ASSEMBLY Show. Some 20 suppliers of adhesives, dispensing and curing technology are displaying their wares. Here’s a look at some of what you’ll see.

UV-cure Epoxy Cures in Less Than a Minute

This epoxy cures quickly when exposed to UV light. A layer of epoxy up to 0.5 inch thick can cure in 30 to 60 seconds. The epoxy provides great clarity, superior adhesion, and a long shelf life (up to one year at room temperature). The epoxy has a virtually unlimited pot life; it will not cure until exposed to the appropriate UV wavelength. It has a low viscosity of less than 400 centipoise. This nonbrittle material has good chemical resistance. Booth 1700

Crosslink Technology
crosslinktech.com

Adhesive Bonds Voice Coil Motors in Smartphones

Voice coil motors (VCMs) are an important part of smartphone cameras, enabling features such as image stabilization and auto focus. Dualbond LT2221 is a universal adhesive for more than 50 bonding tasks in VCM manufacturing. Curing fully at just 60 C, it needs less energy than competing products to create an effective bond, making minimal impact on the temperature-sensitive substrates used in VCMs.

Dualbond LT2221 is a dual-curing adhesive. This low-viscosity adhesive is able to create fine bond lines, which is beneficial for bonding small components. It has a compression shear strength of up to 8 megapasicals on liquid crystal polymer.

When using high-intensity UV lamps, the adhesive can be light-fixed in just 0.5 second. Heat-curing of shadowed areas for achieving final strength can be done all at once—for example in 90 minutes at 60 °C. Booth 1812

DELO Industrial Adhesives
www.delo-adhesives.com

Pumps Feed Lubricants and Adhesives From Drums

Dopag has developed a new, modular series of drum pumps for feeding lubricants, adhesives and sealants. The powerful, double-acting piston pumps feed the material directly, efficiently and without air pockets from its original container. The pumps are characterized by a high level of user-friendliness and maximum flexibility in terms of configuration.

The series consists of two product lines: LubriLine (for lubricants) and GlueLine (for adhesives and sealants). The pumps come in three versions for container sizes of 30, 80 and 200 liters. Engineers have a choice between user-friendly two-hand control with additional safety features and one-hand block control. In addition, the pump can be equipped with different options such as filters, sealing fluid containers, de-airing or homogenization units and modules for external control or monitoring.

Drum bottom detection minimizes material loss when changing containers. Automatic follower plate de-airing makes changing containers easier. Pumps are available in various versions, including stainless steel and wear-resistant with ATEX certification. Booth 1240

Dopag & Meter Mix US
www.dopag.com

Adhesive for Active Alignment Applications

Flashbond UV-3720 is an active-alignment adhesive with low cure shrinkage under 0.1 percentage. It is a one-part, dual-cure (UV light or heat) adhesive with a high glass transition temperature of 155 C, a low coefficient of thermal expansion of 30 parts per million per degree Celsius. It can withstand exposure to 85 C and 85 percent humidity for 1,000 hours with very low moisture absorption. It is perfect for holding alignments through a temperature range of -55 to 200 °C. Booth 1040

EpoxySet Inc.
epoxysetinc.com

Threadlockers Prevent Loose Fasteners

The Nuts N Bolts series of one-component, anaerobic adhesives lock, seal and prevent corrosion of threaded fasteners. Formulations are available to meet a variety of adhesive properties, such as maximum gap filling, cure times, shear strength (breakaway and prevailing torque), and varying viscosities. These adhesives replace expensive methods of preventing loose fasteners, such as lock washers and split washers. Booth 1437

Hernon Manufacturing
www.hernon.com

Conformal Coating System

The Delta 8 four-axis conformal coating machine features state-of-the-art components, including the FC100-CF non-atomized coating valve with continuous film calibration; the FCS300-ES-UF ultra-fine extended-spray valve; and the FCM100 front-closing micro dispense valve. These valves ensure precise and uniform application of conformal coatings.

The machine is programmed with PathMaster X software, which has been specifically designed for the Delta 6 and Delta 8 systems. The software introduces a range of advanced features, a unified programming and production environment, and tools to streamline programming for conformal coating, dispensing and custom applications.

A key feature of PathMaster X is the X-PAD multifunction controller and a modern touch-screen monitor. This intuitive system consolidates all controls within a user-friendly interface. Booth 1706

PVA
www.pva.net

Conveyor for Automated Coating and Dispensing

Available in four configurations, the SCS PrecisionAdvance is a pin-type-edge handling conveyor for transporting circuit boards through dispensing, conformal coating, curing and inspection operations.

The conveyor fully integrates with the SCS PrecisionCoat and PrecisionCure systems to provide a comprehensive automated dispensing system, enabling line management and streamlining the movement of boards through the manufacturing process.

These modular systems are all governed by the same control software for easy integration. Additionally, the conveyor has several optional features to meet specific process needs. For example, the inspection conveyor can be configured with an easel that is ideal for displaying board drawings. When paired with an enclosure hood, operators can use an overhead black light to inspect coated boards while minimizing ambient light. Booth 1711

Specialty Coating Systems
www.scsequip.com

Epoxy Resins for Drone Manufacturing

United Resin formulates a number of epoxy resins for drone manufacturing. Due to its strong mechanical properties, light weight and versatility, epoxy is an excellent material for many drone applications. Key uses include structural components, composite materials, encapsulating electronics, and thermal management.

Featured materials include:

• Metal Paste with 215 Hardener is a thixotropic structural adhesive that cures at room temperature and possesses superior strength at temperatures of up to 350 F.
• High-Temp Adhesive with 210 Hardener is a two-component, low-viscosity, room-temperature cure system with excellent strength at temperatures of up to 300 °F.
• Uni-Bond 1070 with 601 Hardener is a general-purpose laminating material with a low viscosity. It is ideal for laminating and lay-up applications.
• Flex A Bond with 740 is available in regular, sprayable and paste formulations. A key advantage of this epoxy structural adhesive is its ability to work well with hard-to-bond materials, such as PTFE, nylon, ceramics and stainless steel.
• Hi-Strength Tuff Bond with 250 Hardener is a non-sagging, thixotropic, room-temperature curing adhesive for a variety of substrates, including hard-to-bond materials such as PTFE, nylon, acetal and stainless steel.

Booth 347

United Resin Corp.
www.unitedresin.com