What is Epoxy? and how to choose the right type of adhesive
What is Epoxy?
What is Epoxy? and how to choose the right adhesive
Epoxy is what is known as an organic compound. This organic compound is comprised of chains of carbons. These chains are linked to elements, such as nitrogen, hydrogen, or oxygen. Links such as these occur when a covalent bond takes place. This takes place when atoms share electrons. The covalent bond ensures that the electrons stick together.
What Does “Epoxy” Mean?
The term “Epoxy” is quite broad. It is typically used to describe a functional group of epoxides. However, it can also be used to refer to those epoxy resins that can appear after it has been cured.
What is Epoxy?
How to Create Epoxy Adhesives & Choose the Right Type
Epoxy adhesives can be created by changing the humidity and temperature settings in the curing process. This allows you to have epoxy materials that are resistant to chemicals, electricity, or heat.
Because you can create different epoxy adhesives, there is a range of materials that it can be used on. There is also a range of uses, for all questions there are good answers regarding this.
Epoxy Adhesives and their Properties
Because epoxy adhesives can withstand chemicals, heat, and water, they need to be quite tough. They also need to stick to a range of substrates, while being flexible enough that they can be molded into a range of shapes.
When you control the conditions such as the humidity and temperature when the epoxy is made, you get a range of results.
Did you know that epoxy adhesives have the ability to withstand some very heavy loads? This means that they can be used when building many different types of structures.
The Types of Epoxy Adhesives
There are two types of epoxy adhesives:
- One-component – This type of epoxy adhesive is cured between 250 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit. A catalyst is not used in its formulation, and this allows it to cure a lot quicker than two-component adhesive.
- Two-component – This type of epoxy adhesive is cured at a lower temperature than the one-component adhesive. Curing takes place using catalysts. This is a process that can be accelerated by adding heat. Resulting in polymers that are crossed-linked, it ensures the epoxy is far superior to its one-component counterpart.
How to Choose the Right Epoxy Adhesive
When it comes to choosing the right epoxy adhesive, you need to take a few things into consideration. You first need to consider how much time it will take to dry and harden. Some epoxy resins take up to 24 hours to dry and harden.
You also need to consider how long the job is likely to take. It’s important that the epoxy does not become hard before you have completed your job. In addition to this, you don’t want your materials to move once you have finished your job. Choose wisely, and you could have an epoxy adhesive that is ideal for the job.
There is much more to epoxy than meets the eye. This complex adhesive is capable of withstanding heavy weights, while also drying very quickly. This is why many people frequently use epoxy resin.
What is Epoxy? is a feature post