Great ideas for the practitioner of high technology, high performance assembly. Looking at: Adhesives, Coating & Sealants Selected for: ARALDITE - Not just epoxy, and not just for metal bonding! The Araldite 2000 range, available from INTERTRONICS, comprises 12 adhesives giving high performance from not only epoxy, but also polyurethane and methacrylate adhesive technologies. These chemistries display a diverse portfolio of performance properties, which offer wide-ranging benefits to the manufacturing process. The Araldite 2000 product range provides a comprehensive solution to meet the demanding bonding needs of design engineers and industrial manufacturers. The range includes load-bearing adhesives for bonding metals and composites, resilient and flexible adhesives for bonding thermoplastics and combinations of metals, slow cure adhesives for large area application, adhesives designed to give results in minutes, adhesives that are resistant to high temperatures or chemicals, paste adhesives for gap-filling or vertical applications and rapid cure multipurpose adhesives. For example, bonding technology from Araldite adhesives has played a key role in the development of a battery-free flashlight. The NightStar flashlight, powered by a magnetic charging system, is being used by soldiers, mariners, miners, outdoor enthusiasts and emergency responders worldwide for reliable lighting in challenging situations. Manufactured by Applied Innovative Technologies, the NightStar produces more than 20 minutes of high-brightness light after being shaken for only 30 seconds. The magnetic charging system utilises zinc-plated, rare-earth ceramic magnets bonded in either end of a polycarbonate housing with Araldite 2015 structural adhesive. The toughened epoxy maintains its bond strength even when exposed to extreme temperatures, shocks and vibration. "During development we tried numerous different magnet and adhesive combinations. Araldite adhesive was the only material that provided the required performance. In fact, in shear tests, the ceramic magnets tore apart before bonds broke." During assembly, a housing is placed in a holding fixture and a repulsion magnet in another jig to ensure its precise orientation. Bond surfaces require no pre-treatment but care is taken to handle magnets with gloves to prevent fingerprint contamination. To prepare for bonding, technicians install a 50ml dual-barrel cartridge containing pre-measured amounts of Araldite 2015 epoxy resin and hardener in a dispensing gun. A static mixing nozzle is added to the cartridge front, adhesive is mixed in the nozzle and technicians apply a small amount of mixed epoxy to magnet surfaces. The housing is then brought down onto the magnet so that it is securely seated in a small pocket in the bottom of the tube. Technicians follow the same process to bond the second magnet in the top of the flashlight. Flashlight sections then cure at room temperature for about eight hours before moving into final assembly. The cured epoxy has a lap shear strength of 3150 psi at 25°C and maintains its high bond strength even at elevated temperatures. Give us a call to discuss your applications for bonding with the Araldite 2000 range. Alternatively, come and see us at the Southern Manufacturing Exhibition, this Wednesday and Thursday, February 7-8, at Thorpe Park, Surrey. Unit 17 Station Field Industrial Estate, Banbury Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 1JD, ENGLAND Tel: +44 (0)1865 842842     Fax: +44 (0)1865 842172 e-mail: info@intertronics.co.uk    www.intertronics.co.uk Read our latest news Please don't send any more of these great ideas, thanks!