When it comes to curing epoxy, nothing is more important than a constant and uniform heat distribution. With a proper cure, you ensure the integrity and strength of your product. When epoxies are properly cured, they will become solid.
Temperature Influence in Epoxy Curing
The picture below is a good example of how epoxy cures depending on heat and time.
An uneven cure of epoxy can have several negative consequences, including:
- Discoloration/Yellowing
- Color Variation
- Blushing
- Uneven Gloss
- Poor Inter-Coat Adhesion
9 Things to consider in an Epoxy Heating/Curing Solution
- Even Heat: Prevent uneven gloss and poor inter-coat adhesion by finding a solution that evenly heats over the entire surface area.
- Hold the Temperature: Find a heating solution that will maintain the proper application temperature. The warmer the resin and hardener, the lower the viscosity.
- Meet Your Needs: Find a customizable heating solution that will properly fit the size and shape of your application to maintain maximum control. A cool epoxy is more difficult to meter and combine with the resin and hardener.
- High Quality: Ensure less maintenance downtime by finding a heating product with a track record of performance.
- Viscosity: Ensure that the epoxy resin and hardener will flow through dispensing pumps easily by maintaining the appropriate heat.
- Maintain the Mix: Ensure more cross-linking by warming the materials while mixing to initiate a better chemical reaction.
- No Air: Prevent air bubble entrapment and safeguard the strength and effectiveness of the epoxy by having the right heating solution.
- Keep it Clean: Prevent contamination by not using Kerosene or propane heaters since they can inhibit the cure as well as contaminate epoxy surfaces.
- Stay Solid: Prevent under-curing, as it can cause delaminations and product failures by finding an evenly heated and temperature-controlled solution.
Powerblanket Curing Solutions
It’s obvious that temperature control plays a huge role in epoxy curing. Staying in charge of the influence that temperature has on the curing process is the difference between a successful cure or wasted time and material.
Powerblanket supplies the best epoxy adhesive and resin temperature equipment on the market. You can find more about epoxy curing solutions here.
