EPOXY BLOG LIBRARY
Epoxy Dispensing Explained
Errors in epoxy processes (mixing, dispensing / application, curing schedules, etc.) can lead to premature bond failures which negatively impact the reliability of any cable assembly. In response to our industry needs for the most timely information and solutions...
Defeating Bubbles
Perhaps one of the most maddening things about a mixed material is entrained bubbles. Depending on how you mix, you may entrain none, or a ton of them. You want to stab them, push them and blow on them. Anything to break them. But in many photonics applications...
Epoxy Removal Methods and Strategies
Epoxy is a permanent adhesive. When properly chosen for your application and substrates, and properly cured, it will form a strong, permanent bond. At times though, you may find that you need to recover bonded parts or clean parts to remove excess cured epoxy. So...
The Conundrum of Epoxy Temperature Storage
When working with epoxies and adhesives, there are several consistent areas that beg for clarity. FOC knows because we generally field those questions and concerns. Among the top of that list are: Room temperature storage best practices Storage...
Adding Color, Pigment to UV Curable Coatings
From time to time, FOC has been asked to recommend a pigment that can be safely added to UV curable coatings as well as offer advice about what ratio of pigment to coating is acceptable without compromising the integrity of the coating. As communicated by our...
Does epoxy cause core cracking? Tips to identify and prevent this phenomenon
Fabricating fiber optic cable assemblies is still in large part a manual process, requiring knowledge and skill. When something in the process goes awry, an investigation is needed to identify and address the cause. Recently, our team of experts met to discuss some...
Best Practices to Validate Your Epoxy Curing Schedule
Part 3: Bonding Optical Fiber to the Ceramic Ferrule "How do I know what curing schedule I should use?" This is a common question that fiber optic cable assembly houses ask – and it’s a particularly good question. Why? When our customers ask this question, it...
Best Practices to Characterize Oven Ports Used to Thermally Cure Epoxy
Part 2: Bonding Optical Fiber to the Ceramic FerruleIntroduction When fiber optic cable assembly manufacturers ask us to help troubleshoot their epoxy curing issues, we find that some problems stem from improper mixing of epoxy. Other problems arise from lax cleaning...
The Glass Transition in Epoxies
The glass transition, Tg, is the temperature at which cured epoxies go from being rigid and glassy to being rubbery and more flexible. Most of us think of cured epoxies as being pretty hard (Shore D) materials; and they are, due to the crosslinked nature of their...
Helpful Epoxy Tips for the Cable Assembly Process
In the fiber optic cable assembly process, working with epoxy generates a lot of questions. When I visit fabrication facilities, we discuss the finer points of mixing the material, loading syringes, minimizing waste, heat-treating crystallized epoxy, and more. For...
Ideas to adjust your epoxy process: Recommendations to reduce waste (and save money) in your fiber optic cable assembly process
For fiber optic cable assembly manufacturers, bi-packs of 2.5-gram and 4-gram are typical package sizes for epoxy. While these packages contain a very small amount of material, they support the fabrication of quite a few cable connectors and assemblies. (Note that...
Bond Line Thickness & More: Answers to Common Epoxy Questions
When I meet with customers, I field a variety of questions regarding epoxy processes in many applications, including fiber optic cable assemblies. This article addresses commonly asked questions: Why is bond line thickness important? What is the recommended minimum...
Epoxy Bi-Pack News – and Usage Tips for Best Results
Fiber Optic Center has made a change to our epoxy packaging, and I want to inform you of this beneficial change. Plus, as I reflected on this topic, I thought about the fact that I field a lot of “how-to” questions from my customers about using epoxy bi-packs. In this...
Crystallization in Epoxies: Steps for You to Spot it – and Fix It.
During a recent visit to a customer’s production facility, I was shown two containers of crystallized epoxy: one looked milky, one was nearly solid. My customer was understandably concerned and feared the epoxy had “gone bad.” It may sound strange, but I was glad this...
Why Are Epoxy Bi-packs 2.5 Grams?
If we had a nickel for every time we are asked "Why are epoxy bi-packs 2.5 grams?" Fiber Optic Center provides epoxy in two-part bi-packs that are typically 2.5 grams. While 2.5 grams might seem small, some modern-day applications are very small, and relatively...
How to Minimize Allergic Reactions When Handling Epoxies
Almost all epoxies used in the fiber optic industry are two-part epoxy systems consisting of a resin and a hardener or activator. All the chemicals in these two-part epoxies can cause an allergic reaction, but the component most commonly causing an allergic reaction...
Assuring the Correct Amount of Epoxy is in the Connector
This issue has been asked of me many times by numerous experienced and new start-up assembly operations of fiber optic connector assemblies. The questions of: “How much is enough”? and “How do I know that I have the right amount of epoxy in the connector”? The answer...
Which Epoxy Packaging is Right for you?
Of course you need the right material, but once you have chosen that, which packaging makes the most sense? A major determining factor is how much handling do you want to do? So let’s review the epoxy application process. Almost all epoxies used in fiber optics are...