MIDLAND, Mich.—Dow Chemical Co. released its EA-4700 CV adhesive, a silicone solution for transportation assembly that is capable of room temperature curing at faster speeds while maintaining performance, according to a company release.
The adhesive bonds at room temperature to traditional metals and plastics used in electronics assembly, and offers low levels of volatile condensable materials to support use near sensitive electronic components.
Bruce Hilman, global segment leader for transportation assembly at Dow Performance Silicones, said EA-4700 CV adhesive provides durable adhesion and environmental sealing of substrates used in automotive electronic modules, including aluminum, polybutylenterephthalate and polyphenylene sulfide. The silicone's ability to provide faster curing at room temperature enables increased throughput for efficient mass production with less use of energy.
The adhesive cures at room temperature of 25ºC, and achieves 1 Megapascal adhesion strength within three hours, depending on the substrate materials, Dow said. Using new chemistry and formulation techniques, faster cure times are achieved with reasonable open time and dispensing. By reducing or eliminating oven curing, manufacturers can reduce capital expense and energy usage during operation.
The technology used in the new adhesive allows heat exposure to accelerate adhesion development without the risk of voiding, Dow said. For example, exposure to heat at 80ºC for less than five minutes allows a 1 MPa of adhesion to build on polybutylene terephthalate.
As a two-part, primerless adhesive, it cures rapidly after mixing and provides stable adhesion and sealing performance under a typical operational environment of 150ºC, thermal shock and 85ºC/85 percent relative humidity. It also has 600 percent elongation, which makes it suitable for larger modules that experience a coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between substrates, Dow said.
EA-4700 CV adhesive is available globally from Dow directly or from Dow's network of distribution partners.
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