An Introduction to Anaerobic Glue and its Applications
In this article, we would like to tell you about anaerobic adhesives, what their features are and how they are applied. Let’s start, therefore, by finding out what anaerobic adhesives actually are. Anaerobic actually means that something is ‘without air’. In other words, these adhesives will cure once the oxygen is removed. The glue is generally used on metals and will cure best when they remain in contact with the surface while the air is removed. Basically, they are a cementing agent that will only work when at least one of the two surfaces that have to be glued together is a metal.
Benefits of Anaerobic Adhesives
The greatest advantaged of this type of adhesive is that it doesn’t have to be blended. This means it is very user friendly. It is a type of non-solvent adhesive, which also means it doesn’t damage the environment. Finally, people like this type of glue because it cures very quickly, even at room temperature.
photo/ Michael Jarmoluk via pixabay.com
How Do Anaerobic Adhesives Cure?
This is the most important element to understand. If you want to use anaerobic glue, it is vital that you know how it actually cures, after all. This is why you must first understand what the composition of this adhesive is. While it is made up of a variety of ingredients, the most important one to get to know is monomer.
Some 95% of this type of glue is made up of monomer. Around 4% of the product is a bonding catalyst that is designed specifically to work on metals. This is known as the reaction initiator and is what effectively bonds the glue to the metal. The final 1% is made up of various other components, but their levels are so low that you don’t really need to learn about them.
The curing method is quite easy to understand. Basically, so long as the reaction initiator is in contact with air, it will remain stable and the glue will not cure. However, as soon as the air is removed, it cures very quickly. This is because, when there is no air around it, the reaction initiator starts to react to the metal on which it is placed, after which it bonds with the monomer. Hence, the trigger that is needed is the removal of air. One of the great things about this process is that temperature is irrelevant.
How to Apply Anaerobic Adhesives
There are different applications for this type of adhesive. Usually, they are applied to attach two metals together. The main factor that determines how long curing will take is the types of metals. Corroding metals offer the quickest curing times. Some anaerobic adhesives also attach to plastics. However, you must be very careful if this is what you are trying to do. This is because the chance of something going wrong with the curing process is very large and it has been known for the plastic to become damaged during the process.
Guest Author: Lolita Di
