Adhesives & Sealants

Henkel solder paste promising

Henkel’s headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany

Henkel recently launched the first-ever temperature stable solder paste material, describing it as a major material development breakthrough set to change current solder paste processing performance and cost paradigms.


The game-changing formulation, Loctite GC 10, is temperature stable at 26.5°C for one year and stable at temperatures of up to 40°C for one month, which affords exceptional performance throughout the logistics and operations chain – from shipping/receiving to printing and reflow. Henkel showcased the product at the SMT trade show in Nuremburg, Germany, last month.


 “Truly, this is the most exciting thing that’s happened in solder materials development in decades,” says Dr Mark Currie, Henkel global product manager for solder materials. “A material that has temperature stability from shipping all the way through to final assembly is a remarkable achievement.”


In process, Loctite GC 10 offers significant improvements over conventional solder paste materials. As compared to traditional materials which average abandon times ranging from one to four hours, the halogen-free, lead-free, temperature-stable Henkel formula enables abandon times of up to 24 hours and has a startup time of zero. Stabilised and consistent print transfer efficiency, an expanded reflow window and increased activity for better results with soak temperatures between 150°C and 200°C, make Loctite GC 10 incomparable among other paste materials. The solder system’s stability on the line allows for significant cost savings with on-line paste utilisation of more than 95 per cent. The reductions in solder-related defects achieved with Loctite GC 10’s process performance result in higher yields and improved profitability.


Not only will manufacturers realise process improvements and cost reductions due to Loctite GC 10’s unmatched performance, but will also experience resolution to long-standing logistics and storage challenges, Henkel said. The temperature stability of the product eliminates the requirement for cold packing, overnight shipping and refrigerated storage. Packaging and shipping costs are reduced and energy consumption within the factory is decreased.

 

TECHNOMELT PUR RANGE


Meanwhile, with PUR hotmelts becoming increasingly popular with the furniture industry, Henkel’s PUR hotmelts are becoming more and more popular with the furniture industry. With its Technomelt PUR product range, Henkel has reached a leading position industry-wide in moisture-curing reactive polyurethane hotmelt adhesives. A main focus is edgebanding where the quality of the joint has become a benchmark for modern furniture.


In the furniture market, the surface quality of components made from wood-based materials is a deciding factor for customer acceptance. In addition to décor, colour scheme and 3D effects, one of the most important aspects of edgebanding is the exquisite appearance of the joint. And it goes without saying that edges must be durably finished, capable of withstanding all wear and tear.


Edgebanding using reactive polyurethane hotmelts has proved superior to other methods. Responding to the continuing demand for white furniture fronts, the company has introduced white-coloured adhesives to its Technomelt PUR line. Mindful of health and safety, Henkel has also developed PUR ME hotmelts – the suffix “ME” stands for Micro-Emission, and this product group has up to 90 per cent less isocyanate emissions and is therefore exempt from hazard-labeling.


Drawing on long years of experience, Henkel offers its customers a comprehensive range of solutions in PUR adhesives to meet the rising expectations on edgebanding and joints. The Technomelt PUR series has already been used to bond edge bands with a cumulated length of more than one billion meters.