UV cured adhesives

[selittle]

^{So, there is a bevy of "new" bonding agents like Bondic that use a resin that is cured when it come into contact with UV light.  I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these agents and how they work for our little niche of the modeling world.}

 

http://www.bondicusa.com/collections/shop?gclid=Cj0KEQiA7rmzBRDezri2r6bz1qYBEiQAg-YEtoLDOIq1-3Y9fm93hG9N8A3Yi3eNQAbMlv-6m1Zt5s4aAkwo8P8HAQ

[grsjax]

I was thinking the same thing last night when I saw a commercial for something called "5 sec fix".  Look forward to hearing from anyone that has used one of these products.

[Jaager]

I did a little on-line investigation -  one source called it more like caulk than glue.  It was pointed out that if UV can't get to it, it will not undergo the necessary chemical reaction.  I think it is more of a surface tack weld than a glue.  It might work to hold two pieces in a location so that PVA glue can set up - when the pieces are where physical clamping is not possible, but can the UV material then be removed easily and leave no trace?

[vaddoc]

Could be a replacement for some epoxy applications but only when light can get through so I think very limited usefulness for modelling. Looks very expensive also. 

[Bob Blarney]

Dentists have been using UV-cured adhesives/epoxies for years, as you may know.

 

About 7-10 years ago, I worked with some UV-cure adhesives for assembling biomedical instrumentation.  I don't know/remember the chemistries of them, but back then there were basically two types.  

 

One type requires exposure to UV light (and nothing else), and so if the UV light can not penetrate the materials to be bonded, then the adhesive will never cure.  

 

>It is important to remember that for many/most materials, that transparency to UV light is not at all the same as transparency for visible light.<  

 

The other basic glue type can be cured by UV light for initial or total curing, but it can also be cured by heating.  This means that some materials that are UV-opaque or semi-opaque can be 'surface' bonded by UV light exposure, but full bonding can also be accomplished by heating the materials, to fully cure the UV glue.

 

I hope this tidbit is useful to you.

 

[Bob Blarney]

Oh, and don't forget about the Big UV light in the Sky that can be used to cure the UV glue.  

 

You can carefully lay out the parts on a tray and then apply the glue at your leisure, and then take the tray outside for curing.  Maybe better for you, you can do your layout beside a sunny window that has been temporarily covered with aluminum foil. , When you're ready, just open the window to cure the glue.

I also made some judicious use of a magnifying glass, a couple of times.  The glass concentrated the UV light and also concentrated the thermal energy of the the sun to complete a cure.  (Jeez, some people thought I was sunbathing on company time and burning ants!) 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Bob Blarney