Epoxy That Is Irregular, Curing Differently, Has Different Color

by: FOC FAQ

EPOXY: Ask FOC Ask FOC

Published: July 15, 2015

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QUESTION: My epoxy is ‘behaving irregularly’, curing differently, has a different color, etc. Can you help?

ANSWER:

It is possible for a batch of epoxy to be faulty, but it is very rare. Most likely you are experiencing some variation in the epoxy that is allowed by the epoxy’s specification. Epoxies are manufactured in batches, with specified manufacturing windows for viscosity, work time, and every other parameter. This means the final product can and probably will show some variation. If your manufacturing process has been very specifically tailored for a given batch of epoxy, and a new batch of epoxy has slightly different properties, you may find yourself in a borderline situation with the new batch of epoxy. No doubt this kind of variation in results is very unwelcome to an up and running process. However, minor changes to the process frequently solve the issue at hand, and make for a more robust process overall. One approach is to take the epoxy and cure it all by itself (not in your application) and ensure it meets its own spec. This simple experiment may also offer clues to help you to determine what might be needed to tweak your process – i.e. if the epoxy takes a little longer to cure, dwell a little longer in the oven, or raise the temperature a little, to ensure complete cure. Unfortunately color can’t be used to indicate much. Again, epoxies are made in batches, and the materials used by the manufacturers to synthesize the epoxy are subject to small variations as well. Small changes in the manufacturer’s raw materials and process are frequently what is responsible for variations in color.

Answered by AskFOC Technical Team July 15, 2015

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FOC FAQ 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.

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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

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