Cyanoacrylates open time

New cyanoacrylate compounds exhibit good adhesion to various plastics and elastomeric surfaces, such as Mylar, copper foil, and vinyl films. These products show better impact resistance and good flexibility compared to standard cyanoacrylates, good resistance to cracking under flexing or bending, and a longer open time than that of standard products. 

Modified acrylics Good flexibility Good peel and shear strengths No mixing required Will bond dirty(oily) surfaces Room-temperature cure Moderate cost Low hot-temperature strength Slower cure than with cyanoacrylates Toxic Flammable Odor Limited open time Dispensing equipment required... 

Cyanoacrylates would normally have a relatively short open time as they are very sensitive to surface moisture and to a lesser extent atmospheric moisture. In most cyanoacrylate applications, the joint shonld be closed within a few seconds and certainly not more than a few minutes. 

A few polymers can be converted back to their monomers for purification and repolymerization. Polymers formed by ring-opening polymerization fall in this class, as shown in the foregoing by the conversion of nylon 6 back into caprolactam. When ethyl cyanoacrylate is used as a binder for metal and ceramic powders, it can be recovered for reuse by pyrolysis at 180°C.184 The monomer can be obtained by pyrolysis of polymethyl methacrylate in 92-100% yield,185 poly(a-methylstyrene) in 95-100% yield, and polytetraflu-oroethylene in 97-100% yield.186 Polystyrene can be de-polymerized to styrene containing some styrene dimer by heating with solid acids or bases at 350 400°C.187 It is pos sible that the dimer could be recycled to the next run to produce more monomer. The best yield (> 99% styrene) was obtained by passing polystyrene through a fluidized bed of a solid catalyst at 400 700°C, with a contact time of more than 60 s.188... 

Application of cyanoacrylates to the bonding surface is simple, for these are one-part, 100% reactive adhesives. The adhesive is applied as a drop or bead to one surface, then the other adherend is used to spread the adhesive in a thin film. Due to the volatility of the monomer and the fast cure, no more than three or four square inches of bondline should be open at one time. Enough adhesive should be applied to provide a slight fillet when the adherends are mated. This will ensure that the adherends are thoroughly wetted and that any air bubbles are removed. On impervious, well-fitted substrates, two drops (25 mg) of adhesive per square inch is sufficient coverage. Too much adhesive will create a weak bond, as the surface-initiated cure may not extend throughout a thick adhesive layer. Also, excessive adhesive can wash the initiators out of the bondline, causing a slow or incomplete cure. 

The adhesive is put under pressure and the dispense valve is opened for a certain time to provide the correct quantity of adhesive (see Figure 10.15). Since the cyanoacrylate contacts the pressurised air, the dryness of the air is important and an air filter on the mains air line is recommended. A pressure/time system is best suited for cyanoacrylates up to a viscosity of 5,000 mPa-s, i.e., self levelling products. 

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