One method to encourage bubbles to come out of the bulk material is a 2-stage heat cure. This is a short, initial cure at an elevated, but lower, temperature than the final cure. An example is a 50°C cure for 30 minutes, for a product that has a final cure at 85°C. The effect of the initial elevated heat step is to expand any bubbles that are still in, or recently introduced into – by pouring, injecting, or otherwise filling a cavity – the epoxy, increasing their size and buoyancy, encouraging them to rise out of the epoxy and escape. This elevated heat step also lowers the viscosity of the epoxy, without strongly driving the curing reaction, further enabling any expanded bubbles to rise and escape from the epoxy.
Additional resources from the FOC team include:
- Category Resource:
- View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
- Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com
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.