Tough Tracker was established to counter a problem in the scrap metal market – of not knowing where scrap bins (skips, etc.) are located if they get lost or stolen. Electronic tracking devices need to be both robust and with good battery life. The Tough Tracker solution was developed with a high tech composite casing  (Formula 1 grade,  stronger than steel) with a combination of a GPS satellite positioning system (the same GPS as used in spacecraft and aeronautics), quad band GSM transmitter with cell location function, anti-jamming technology and a 3-axis accelerometer for ultra-sensitive motion detection. The complete unit then needed to survive extremely aggressive testing exemplified by a two minute battering with a sledge hammer – brilliantly demonstrated on Tough Trackers’ website video.

Originally, a polyester potting compound was tried to protect the electronics, but its uneven cure lead to exothermic hot spots and shrinkage which caused component damage.  Whilst inexpensive, the polyester was hard and not sufficiently shock proof, shattering under impact testing.

Developer James Bryan explained:

 Tough Tracker is a new company – we are just two years old and had spent the first year in research and development, so we needed a can-do attitude at reasonable cost. When we started to look for something more resilient for our potting compound we found Intertronics by word of mouth recommendation and they have exactly met our needs.

Our Product Specialist Simon Gibbs listened to their requirements and suggested that IRS 3071 Polyurethane Potting Compound was evaluated. IRS 3071 is a semi-rigid, room temperature curing polyurethane resin system specifically designed for the cost effective encapsulation of a variety of low to medium voltage electrical and electronic applications. The system is medium viscosity, flame retardant to UL94 V-0 at 6mm and has excellent adhesion to a wide range of substrates. IRS 3071 is resistant to UV, water based cleaning chemicals, motor oil, lubricants and most dilute acids and alkalis.

The IRS 3071 Polyurethane Potting Compound is crucial to performance of the Tough Tracker and has been found to be waterproof, impact and thermally resistant, and easy to work with. Importantly, its electrical transmission characteristics allow the tracking signals, whilst its fire retardant specification also helps with fire proofing.

IRS 3071 works well in production, saving wastage of pcb’s and enhancing performance in service. We also supplied a custom metering, mixing and dispensing machine, which ensures production efficiency and the consistency of performance essential to reliability of the Tough Tracker unit. Purchase of the machine allowed Tough Tracker to purchase bulk quantities of the potting compound, which led to material savings.

Application of the Tough Tracker technology has now expanded into security of farm machinery, vehicle trailers and perimeter gate alarms. They were recently a finalist in the prestigious EIC Energy and Innovation Awards for Best Asset Security Innovation – a significant tribute to their enthusiasm and use of advanced technologies to solve a simple low technology problem.

And for the future? Well, we understand field experience now calls for ballistic testing which is envisaged with a range of weapons from shotguns to 50 calibre rifle – we await the results with interest!

A recent report has highlighted the growth of LED technology in the UV and light curing of adhesives, coatings and other materials like inks. Thanks to a number of factors like compact size, low cost of ownership and environmentally-friendly constituents, UV LED is continuing to be a viable alternative to incumbent technologies like mercury lamps. Hence, the UV LED business is expected to grow very strongly in the next few years.

Amongst a number of applications for UV LEDs, UV curing is the most dynamic and most important market, due to significant advantages offered over traditional technologies (lower cost of ownership, system miniaturization, etc.). We are continuing to develop our offering to our customers in this field – who are manufacturers and assemblers of high technology products. We have a range of LED-based UV curing lamps –  and a growing number of compatible materials like adhesives, coatings and temporary masking products.

We are re-launching our self-adhesive tapes for masking during the conformal coating process.

INT 631 Conformal Coating Masking Tape is a polyester film based tape with a silicone-free synthetic resin adhesive. INT 630 Conformal Coating Masking Tape is a similar product, but with a conductive adhesive layer designed to reduce static discharge upon application and removal. Most users prefer silicone-free adhesives for this masking procedure, as silicones can cause local de-wetting and adhesion problems for the coating.

Both tapes are readily available in rolls and die-cut discs of various widths and diameters.

Dymax Ultra Light-Weld® 431 is a versatile glass-to-glass and glass-to-metal bonding adhesive which is formulated to be resistant to high-temperature and high-moisture environments while maintaining superior adhesion and flexibility.

Dymax 431 bonds rapidly upon exposure to UV/visible light from conventional or LED based curing lamps, allowing a fast assembly process – making it highly suitable for applications such as furniture, container glass and lighting and appliance sub-assemblies.

Dymax 431 cures in seconds with conventional UV curing lamps, but also cures with LED-based UV curing lamps, like our BlueWave LED Prime.

• Very fast cure for efficient production
• Cures with LED-based UV curing lamps
• Flexible for shock resistance
• Moisture and temperature resistant for challenging applications

Dymax 431 enables rapid bonding of glass and metal (stainless steel, aluminium, brass and copper) and can also be considered for bonding a wide variety of plastics such as ABS, CAP, PA, PC, PCTG, PEBA, PEEK, PET, PETG, PI, PVC and SAN, as well as ceramic and FR4. This adhesive was specifically designed with low shrinkage, which results in reduced stress on the bond line or larger cured surfaces.

Industry is looking for shorter and shorter cycle times, and has an increasing requirement for reliable, repeatable dispensing systems. But in addition, dispensing or dosing accuracy needs are becoming more challenging. High technology materials, in adding functionality, become more complex and so more difficult to handle. Simple time-pressure dispensers are successful to the point of ubiquity – they are relatively inexpensive and contribute many advantages to users. However, they may not always be suitable when the highest levels of accuracy and tolerance are required. The return on investment (ROI) on more sophisticated equipment can be calculated by looking at the costs of scrap rates or quality issues resulting from inadequate equipment.

The endless-piston principle is a positive displacement and a purely volumetric pump technology. The geometry of the rotor and stator ensures a constant volume flow which is proportional to the speed. Through the resulting pumping chambers, it is possible to convey suspended solids very gently. This pump technology is completely self-sealing and works without any additional valves. For example, the dispense or dose does not change with variations in viscosity, which can occur with temperature change or ongoing cure.

Our partners preeflow (part of ViscoTec) have worked for more than twenty years with this volumetric dispensing technique, from development and design to production of all relevant components. ViscoTec manufactures everything in-house necessary for your perfect dosing solution. preeflow dispensers and pumps are pre-tested individually at the manufacturing plant prior to delivery. This technology ownership, attention to detail and quality ethic results in the optimal dispensing outcome.

Benchmarking the accuracy of liquid dispensing
Compare the results from 1) preeflow, 2) a competitor with similar technology, 3) a time/pressure dispenser

A recent adhere academy post discussed the modulus of elasticity of materials. Closely linked to that is another physical factor which we often quote on product data sheets: hardness.

One way to define the hardness of a material is its resistance to permanent indentation. We all know that rubber balls are soft, and rock is hard, but in order to give us some quantitative numbers with which to make comparisons, we normally use measurements from an instrument called a durometer. A durometer measures the depth of an indentation in the material created by a given force. But because rubber balls and rocks are so different in their hardness, the durometer methods to measure them are different too.  These different methods mean that we use different numerical scales, which we call Shore scales (named after the chap who invented the durometer).

In our data sheets, we quote durometer hardness figures from the Shore 00, Shore A and Shore D scales. There are overlaps on these scales, but they don’t necessarily have a direct linear relationship.

Shore 00 is for quite soft products (rubbers and gels), Shore A is in the medium range (harder rubbers, softer plastics), and Shore D is for harder materials (plastics).

Here are some examples, both from our portfolio and from real life:

Material	Shore 00	Shore A	Shore D
Chewing gum	20
Dymax GA-108 FIP gasket	65
Elastic band		20
Opti-tec 7020 silicone potting compound		40
Silcoset 151 rtv silicone sealant		43
Car tyre		70
Opti-tec 4200 polyurethane potting compound		70
Dymax 3069 plastic bonding adhesive			55
Dymax 3099 plastic bonding adhesive			75
Bone			90
Opti-tec 5054 epoxy adhesive			92

Understanding how we quantify material hardness and make comparisons against other materials will help in material selection.

If your organisation carries out high technology, high performance manufacturing, assembly or repair, we will help you improve the speed, efficiency and integrity of your bonding, coating and assembly processes.

Under our adhere programme, we supply adhesives, coatings, sealants, encapsulants, potting compounds, temporary masks and gaskets for a very wide range of applications and processes, together with the most appropriate equipment for dispensing and curing them. This, together with the provision of expert advice and consultancy, ensures that you will benefit from the optimal material and process choice for the manufacture, assembly or repair of your products – safeguarding and enhancing their performance and integrity and in turn, your profitability and reputation.

Read more – download the new brochure from our website.

Non-contact, jet dispensing technology from Liquidyn is an process enabler; precision amounts of liquids like oils, adhesives, greases and coatings can be applied accurately and fast. Now, even challenging materials like anaerobic adhesives (threadlockers, thread sealants, retaining materials and flange sealants) can use this methodology.

Non-contact dosing in this context means that the liquid drops are propelled in free flight over several millimeters from the dispensing nozzle orifice on to the component. To achieve this with anaerobic chemistries (which cure when isolated from oxygen in the presence of metal ions), the use of suitable materials for the fluid wetted valve components and optimisation of the valve dynamics was necessary.

Versions of the Liquidyn P-Dot and P-Jet dispensing valves are available which you can apply to your anaerobic adhesive dispensing challenges.

Losses from scrap in production of high value mechanical components is a vital consideration in improving quality and efficiency of manufacture; fortunately, we have available the DYMAX family of solvent free UV curable SpeedMask masking resins which offer significant improvements in reliability, worker safety, ease of use, quality of process outcome and actual piece part operation cost in comparison to traditional methods.

These resins cure in seconds under UV light and provide superior protection during machining, laser drilling, grit blasting, shot peening, acid stripping, plating, and thermal spray coating. Their ease of application, speed of cure, and consistent reliability surpasses that of waxes, tapes, lacquers and other slow curing, solvent-based masks and can provide substantial savings through reductions in labour, re-work and scrap. Typical components which have been successfully masked using these materials include aerospace parts like turbine blades and medical devices like replacement hip joints – components which are expensive, and so the masking process must be very effective.

UV masking resins are available in several viscosities and can be applied by spraying, dipping or brushing while being worker friendly and safe. They are specifically formulated to have no effect on the metallurgy of the surface being masked. Being acrylated-urethane based (without heavy metals, silica, or other compounds), these resins can be handled like any industrial plastic once cured.

These UV cured masking resins can be removed either by being burned off, peeled by hand, or dissolved in water. Burn-off grade masks require the components to be baked in an air-enriched furnace between 480°C and 760°C, achieving complete removal in as little as 15 minutes – producing gasses which do not pose a risk in the workplace or the environment.

Peelable masking resins are perhaps the most versatile and have been qualified for surface protection in processes such as grit blasting, shot peening, acid cleaning, plating and anodized coatings. The elasticity of the material typically permits fast removal in one piece with no residues, leaving a peeled mask that is non-hazardous and may be disposed of in accordance with local regulations for industrial scrap plastic.

Water soluble UV cured masks provide excellent protection for “dry” finishing processes such as grit blasting, grinding, shot peening, and plasma spraying. The ideal removal method uses heated water (60°-80°C) and a spray wash or agitated/ultrasonic bath. The mask completely dissolves in the water leaving no residue on the component surface. Water soluble temporary masks dissolved in water exhibit a neutral pH of 7 in up to 20% concentration and do not create a handling hazard to operators.

In two trials, very large savings were found and in the first case several cost factors were reduced or eliminated by switching to a UV cured masking resin. Less material was used due to the controlled viscosity of the resin. The resiliency and tenacious adhesion of the UV cured masking resin eliminated stripping and re-masking of the components between the cleaning and grinding processes. Scrap was reduced from 0.5% to zero (a significant factor as components ranged from several hundred to many thousands of dollars in value) leading to cost savings of $32.00 per unit, a 40% reduction – plus masking can now be done in less than a quarter of the time, saving nearly one hour per piece.

In the second case cost savings were achieved of $26.00 per unit (a 37% reduction), resulting from labour saving and the elimination of rework/scrap associated with the tape masking process. The added cost of equipment for the UV process was easily recovered in less than one month.

UV curable masking resins open the door to savings never before possible. Labour costs can be cut in half, scrap eliminated, and overall component processing time reduced by as much as 60-70%. In addition to cost cutting opportunities, UV curable masking resins improve the quality of the environment in the workplace, removing health hazards and reducing risk of operator injury leading to improved employee morale and consequent higher productivity.

Many of our material product data sheets (PDS) will quote a number for the modulus of elasticity.

The modulus of elasticity is a number which represents the material’s tendency to be deformed elastically (i.e. non-permanently, recovering original size and shape) when a force is applied to it.  A stiffer material will have a higher modulus of elasticity, a softer material will have a lower modulus. We use units like MPa or psi for this number.

There is a relationship between modulus of elasticity and hardness. Hardness is a measure of how resistant a material is to various kinds of permanent deformation or shape change when a force is applied.

These physical characteristics are useful when selecting an adhesive, coating or other material. Let’s look at two or our most popular UV curing glass bonding adhesives:

Both of these products bond glass to metal very well. If you want a hard, rigid, clear bond – then Dymax 6-621 is a good candidate. But if you have a large area or high-impact application, where a flexible adhesive would be desirable, then Dymax 429 is a better one to test.