Mercury-Free Polyurethane Adhesives

Huntsman Advanced Materials today announced a new family of mercury-free ARALDITE polyurethane adhesives. The products were developed as part of Huntsman’s continuing effort to provide customers with leading-edge, environmentally conscious materials. The newly formulated adhesives are particularly well suited for use in assembly of thermoplastic components and other parts destined for the global marketplace that is governed by strict, new environmental regulations. ARALDITE mercury-free polyurethanes are rapid-setting, high-strength adhesives for bonding substrates such as polycarbonate, ABS, nylon and Metton® liquid molding resin with minimal surface preparation. Colored black in response to customer requests, the new products are easy to blend with a 1:1 mix ratio by volume. The adhesives cure fast, attaining handling strength after six hours at 77ºF (25ºC). Once cured, the mercury-free polyurethanes exhibit good flexibility with an elongation of approximately 250% and lap shear strength of up to 2,100 psi on primed aluminum panels at room temperature. ARALDITE 2041-1 polyurethane and ARALDITE 2042-1 polyurethanes are supplied in 50ml and 200ml dual-barrel cartridges and soon to be available 250ml “universal” cartridge that provide for fast, precise mixing and dispensing through disposable mix nozzles. The low-waste cartridges can be resealed and, once emptied, disposed of in standard waste bins. Mercury-free ARALDITE AW 8680/Hardener HW 5541-1 and ARALDITE AW 8680/Hardener HW 5542-1 polyurethanes are supplied in bulk packaging.