They nail horse shoes, don't they?

Yes indeed, we found that they do nail horses' shoes – but in the process of custom fitting each shoe a farrier will generate a lot of impact energy on his anvil – not only does this cause the ear damaging “ringing” sound but also generates a potentially damaging reflective shock wave up the hammer into the farrier’s body and moves the anvil while working. This problem has been recognised for some time and may be addressed by use of a percussive pad placed under the anvil. So when Ian Payne at Hand Made Shoes was looking to manufacture really effective pads he found he needed a high-grade impact resistant adhesive to hold them together. Our answer was Araldite 2040 flexible polyurethane adhesive.

Hand Made Shoes percussive pads consist of two sheets of aluminium sandwiching a 12mm rubber pad with 25mm diameter lead discs held in place by the rubber. Vibration is effectively dampened by deformation of the lead and rubber which absorb different wavelengths of the impact shock. This not only reduces Health and Safety related damage but also greatly reduces the anvil’s tendency to move or “walk” while in use.

Our solution of Araldite 2040 simply involves application of a bead in criss-cross pattern on the aluminium “bread” parts of the sandwich then assembly with the rubber/lead “filling” with gentle overnight pressure to ensure a tough resilient bond.

This quite unusual application does demonstrate the sometimes extreme conditions which modern high performance adhesives can endure. In particular we are very impressed with the way Araldite 2040 has taken this in its stride – for a general purpose polyurethane intended to bond a wide variety of substrates it has performed beyond expectations. Araldite 2040 is well suited for bonding of polycarbonate and polyamides as well as metals, especially where low shrinkage, good flexibility and good gap filling are needed.

And whilst they do nail horse shoes, not always! Araldite 2012 has been used for the bonding of "racing plates" directly onto horses hooves – another high impact application!

adhere - better bonding from intertronics - the movie!

This comes courtesy of our friends at Circuitmart.

See-Cure - to be sure

Our sales partners DYMAX have created See-Cure technology as a visual indicator for their UV cure adhesives by colour changing from original blue to clear during the curing process. This innovative approach greatly aids industrial assembly processes, whether the application is medical, electronic, aerospace or automotive. In each case it is essential to know that sufficient adhesive has been dispensed and that a full cure is effected – See-Cure colour change technology enables this to be determined at a glance.

Excitingly, the product has been featured on television in the USA, in a segment on Eye on America - have a look!

Fuel resistant silicone

Modern diesel engines require gaskets to seal a variety of components, including fuel systems and control units. RTV silicones have been used in and around the engine for many years, being chosen for their flexibility and ability to withstand high temperatures. For use within a diesel engine, the gasket material must be able to withstand the temperatures generated from the engine - but most importantly, must be able to withstand the continual contact with diesel fuel.

In general, silicone RTV sealants are prone to attack from mineral oils. To overcome this problem they can be formulated using fluorosilicone polymers; however, the dramatic increase in costs usually prohibits their commercial use.

The good news is that our sales partners ACC have taken one of their patented acetone cure RTV silicone sealants and carried out extensive testing to prove their suitability for applications involving contact with both conventional and bio-diesel fuels.

These tests proved ACC AS1810 suitable for use with conventional and bio-diesel when used as a gasket material in conjunction with mechanical fixings.

Free of charge

Such is the potential for damage from stray static-induced electricity that a vast industry has grown up providing electrostatic discharge (ESD) safe products to be used in sensitive environments. ESD-safe, anti-static shoes, pens, labels, bags... and just about anything else you can think of are on offer.

Sometimes, however, the exact thing that you need is not readily available in an ESD-safe version. And that's where Licron Crystal comes in.

Licron Crystal is a clear, sprayable coating which provides a permanent static dissipative surface. It can be applied to metals, plastics, glass and so on. This simple versatility means that anyone in charge of a static controlled area should have at least one can of Licron Crystal in their cupboard.