Bridging the Gap:

Liquid Solutions for Joint Sealing

Timothy Holmes
Michael Pomykala
Henkel Corporation
ANTEC - May 2016
Introduction
Benefits of Adhesives

Benefits
• Join Dissimilar Substrates
• Distributes Stress Evenly
• Fill Large Gaps
• Seal, Bond and Protect
• Neat Appearance
• Easily Automated

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Introduction
Adhesive Chemistries
• Instant Adhesives
• Cyanoacrylates
• Light Cure
• Structural Bonding
• Epoxies
• Acrylics
• Polyurethanes
• Elastomerics
• Silicones
• Flextec
• Machinery Adhesives
• Anaerobics
• Bulk Adhesives
• Hotmelts

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Introduction
Sealing
• Sealants prevent the passage of a
liquid or gas into undesirable areas.

• Fluids (gas or liquid) flow along

concentration gradients.
• High to low

• Real world examples:

• Pressurized tanks
• Windshields
• Flanges
• Enclosure seams

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Introduction
Elastomeric Sealants

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Introduction
Elastomeric Sealants continued

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Gasketing
Liquid Gaskets

• FIP
• Formed by the application of a bead of
liquid elastomer (or anaerobic) which is
then assembled in the uncured state.

• CIP
• Formed by the application of a bead of
liquid elastomer that is cured before it is
compressed.

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Seam Sealing
Liquid Sealants

• Chemistries:
• rubber based
• polyvinyl chloride based
• epoxy based
• acrylate based
• polyurethane based
• silane modified polymer based

• Benefits:
• corrosion prevention
• aesthetic improvements
• reduced noise-vibration-harshness
• simplified designs
• enhanced paint quality

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Innovations in Sealing
Porosity Sealing

• Porosity Sealing in Castings (vacuum impregnation)

• 4 step process used on cast parts
• Reduced pressure tank removes air from pores
• Pressure revered to saturate pores with resin
• Excess resin rinsed off part
• Resin polymerizes

• Porosity Sealing in Welding

• Welding is prone to leaks due to microscopic pores
• Loctite® 290 fills pores through capillary action
• Resin polymerizes via anaerobic cure

• Porosity Sealing in Additive Manufacturing

• 3D printing uses a layer by layer process to build parts
• Layers inherently have voids at interfaces
• Loctite® cyanoacrylates can be used to smooth surface finish and
unify layers

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Thank you!
Questions?

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