Activators and accelerators are used with adhesives to initiate and speed up the curing process. Activators are catalytic agents and are necessary parts of the chemical curing process. Accelerators are typically used to achieve fast fixture times in high-speed manufacturing environments or to overcome substrate challenges such as when bonding materials with low surface energy. These chemicals may be applied using a brush or an aerosol spray. Users will want to keep the activator and adhesive separate until the moment that curing is desired as curing can proceed quickly after contact is made. One common way of achieving this is to apply the activator or accelerator to one substrate while applying the adhesive to the other. Then when the parts are mated, the chemical and adhesive will naturally mix. In some cases, it is also possible to spray on accelerators before mating the parts. This is typically accomplished by carefully applying the adhesive first and only spraying on the accelerator or activator immediately before mating the parts.
There can be some trade-offs to accelerators. A rule of thumb for adhesives is that the longer it takes to cure, the stronger the bond. Sometimes accelerators can cause adhesives to cure and harden before the adhesive has fully connected with the substrate surface. This is most common when working with porous materials that require more time for the adhesive to fully integrate with the surface.
Accelerator 48 is a solvent-based accelerator for instant adhesives. The accelerator is designed to speed the cure of Hernon cyanoacrylate adhesives. Accelerator 48 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® cyanoacrylate adhesives is required. Especially recommended for applications involving printed circuit board wire tacking and tamper proofing of adjustable components.
Accelerator 58 is a single component non-CFC solvent-based product, formulated to provide a faster cure on acidic surfaces and cure excess Instantbond? cyanoacrylate adhesive outside the bond line. Accelerator 58 is used to increase the cure speed of Hernon® Instantbond® Adhesives. It is especially suited for post application on exposed Instantbond® adhesive outside of the bond line. Loudspeaker assembly and bonding jewelry are two examples.
Activator 45 is solvent-free and designed to initiate the cure of Hernon® toughened acrylic adhesives. Since Activator 45 contains no solvents, no waiting time for solvent evaporation is needed prior to assembly.
Activator 47 is solvent-free and designed to initiate the cure of Hernon toughened acrylic adhesives. Since Activator 47 contains no solvents, no waiting time for solvent evaporation is needed prior to assembly.
Activator 51 is a solvent-free product that is designed to initiate the cure of Hernon® toughened acrylic adhesives. Since Activator 51 contains no solvents, no waiting time for solvent evaporation is needed prior to assembly.
Activator 56 is a single component, non-CFC solvent-based product, designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® Structural Adhesive/Sealants. Activator 56 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants is required. Especially recommended for applications with passive metals, inert surfaces or where large gaps are present.
Adhesion Promoter 42 is a single component product designed to improve adhesion to low surface energy plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and Santoprene to similar substrates using Quantum® and Instantbond® adhesives.
Hernon® HPS Initiator 91 is used to activate Hernon® Hernon Porosity Sealant (HPS) resins. Hernon® HPS Initiator 91 activates HPS 991R enabling the system to cure at elevated temperatures.
Primer 37824 is a single component, solvent-free, reactive monomer-based product designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants. Primer 37824 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic products is required, and for difficult to bond applications where galvanized steel or zinc electroplated surfaces are involved. This product was specially formulated for increasing bond integrity on dichromated surfaces.
Primer 46 is a single component, solvent-free, reactive monomer-based product designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants. Primer 46 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants is required. It is especially recommended for applications with passive metals or inert surfaces and with large bond gaps. It is particularly recommended for cure conditions below 15°C.
Primer 49 is a single component, non-CFC solvent based product designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants. Primer 49 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants is required. It is especially recommended for applications with passive metals or inert surfaces and with large bond gaps. It is particularly recommended for cure conditions below 15°C. Primer 49 meets the requirements of MIL-S-22473E (Grade T) and ASTM D5363 (Grade T).
Primer 50 is a single component, non-CFC solvent-based product designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants. Primer 50 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants is required. It is especially recommended for applications with passive metals or inert surfaces and with large bond gaps. It is particularly recommended for cure conditions below 15°C. Primer 50 meets the requirements of ASTM D5363 (Grade N) and MIL-S-46163A Grade F.
Primer 57 is a single component, solvent-free, reactive monomer-based product designed to promote the cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic adhesives and sealants. Primer 57 is used where increased cure speed of Hernon® anaerobic products is required, and for difficult to bond applications where galvanized steel or zinc electroplated surfaces are involved. This product was specially formulated for increasing bond integrity on dichromated surfaces.
Hernon® HPS Activator 4322 is used to activate Hernon® Hernon Porosity Sealant (HPS) resins. HPS resins cures to form a thermoset polymer when exposed to elevated temperature. Thermal content and coefficient of thermal transfer in the workpieces influence the cure rate of the HPS system. Higher temperatures produce quicker cure rates. HPS resins generally cures within the range of 177°F (80°C) to 205°F (96°C). Proper cure requires the workpiece to uniformly attain full cure temperature. Parts that do not transfer heat well will required longer processing times. Efficient thermal conductivity yields shorter processing cycles. Parts with heavier cross sections require longer exposure at heat to attain sufficient temperature internally. Carefully consider part geometry. Consult Hernon® Technical Service for specific process requirements.