Place your thoroughly mixed material in the refrigerator (5 to 10ºC) to slow down the cure process and preserve the pot life. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for several hours (depending on pot life, overnight might be a possibility). This will permit bubbles to rise and dissipate (buoyancy) and will also permit dissolved air to diffuse to the surface and equilibrate with the ambient air (diffusion). The main disadvantage of this approach is that it consumes some pot life. A minor disadvantage (to be aware of) is that once the refrigerated material is brought back to room temperature, care must be taken to prevent condensation of moisture onto the material. Condensation will occur when the ambient dew point is higher than the refrigeration temperature. In most cases, if the ambient air is actively air-conditioned to 68ºC or below, and the refrigerator is at 5ºC or greater, condensation will not occur.
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.
