2.5 Grams Seems Small and Yet Much Ends up as Waste

While 2.5 grams might seem small, some modern-day applications are very small, and relatively speaking 2.5 grams is a lot of material, much of which ends up as waste. Fiber Optic Center provides epoxy in two-part bi-packs that are typically 2.5 grams.

Room temperature/heat cured epoxies are typically two-part materials – resin and hardener. The two parts are mixed-in ratios unique for any given epoxy. Maintaining the mix ratio is essential for maintaining the cured properties of the epoxy.

One of the more common mix ratios is 10:1; 10 parts resin to 1 part hardener. This means a 2.5-gram bi-pack has 2.27 grams of resin and 0.23 grams of hardener. Most manufacturers agree that the actual weight of the resin or hardener should be within 5% of the calculated value. For a small weight like 0.23 grams, 5% is 0.01 grams (a hundredth of a gram). So the weight of the hardener is 0.23 grams +/- 0.01 grams. Accurate measurement of 0.01 grams requires a scale that measures 0.001 grams (a thousandths of a gram). Measuring such small amounts becomes a practical problem, and as stated above, maintaining the mix ratio is essential for maintaining the cured properties of the epoxy.

This is why a 1-gram (or smaller) bi-pack is not practical. Even packaging houses with very accurate and routinely calibrated scales have difficulty maintaining an accurate enough mix ratio to ensure the cured properties of the epoxy. Can it be done?  Yes, and the cost of achieving this roughly half quantity of epoxy would be expensive and subject always subject to reliability issues.

READ THE BLOG: Assuring the correct amount of Epoxy is in the connector

 

Additional resources from the FOC team include:

Have questions about this FOC Tip?

Contact FOC with questions at: (800) 473-4237 / 508-992-6464 or email: FiberOpticCenter@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP.

About the Author
FOC Tips Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.
About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

For further information contact:
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., 23 Centre Street, New Bedford, MA 02740-6322
Toll Free in US: 800-IS-FIBER or 800-473-4237 . Direct 508-992-6464. Email: sales@focenter.com or fiberopticcenter@focenter.com

For media contact:
Kathleen Skelton, Director of Strategic Marketing, C: 617-803-3014 . E: kskelton@focenter.com