Fast metal adhesive for elevated temperatures

Paul Boughton

Manufacturer of industrial adhesives, DELO, has developed a new metal adhesive for electric motors to extend its product range by an adhesive combining a broad temperature range of use with fast and simple production processes.

The DELO-ML DB154 adhesive is mainly designed for bonding tasks in electric motors, including bonding of buried magnets, rotor packages, and shafts to hubs.

When having developed this product, DELO attached great importance to high temperature stability and resistance. DELO-ML DB154 is suitable for being used at temperatures up to +180°C, and achieves more than twice the shear strength values of other methacrylates at these temperatures. Many other adhesives experience a strong power drop at temperatures above +150°C. In addition, the new adhesive retains its strength even at frequent contact with gear oil, motor oil and gasoline.

The product cures by exposure to UV or visible light. Initial strength of the fillet is achieved within 6 seconds to fix the components and continue processing promptly. The dual-curing adhesive achieves full strength under exclusion of oxygen.

Unlike one- or two-component epoxy resins, light-curing methacrylates require shorter periods of time until processing can continue, and enable faster production processes. In addition, one process step can be omitted as mechanical fixing of the components prior to heat curing is not necessary. They also leave a smaller CO2 footprint in production as heat curing would consume more energy.

The medium-viscous adhesive adheres to steel and aluminum as well as to magnets made of rare earths often consisting of an iron-neodymium mixture. If an activator is used, metals can also be joined to a component made of plastic.

Last year, DELO introduced an epoxy-based product for even harsher temperature requirements. It can be used at temperatures up to +220°C, but takes a little bit longer for curing. 

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