New Dow Corning Adhesive for Smart Devices
Dow Corning has introduced new Dow Corning EA-4600 Hot Melt Room-Temperature Vulcanization (RTV) Black Adhesive for improved assembly of consumer electronics and other demanding high-volume manufacturing operations.
The latest addition to the company's broad and growing portfolio of advanced hot melt adhesives, EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive is formulated to dispense easily and achieve instant green strength, which allows electronic assemblies to be handled immediately after its application.
"As demand for next-generation smart devices continues to accelerate and new design trends increasingly favor narrow bezels and other innovative designs, Dow Corning customers are seeking new and innovative adhesives that can help them meet their design and manufacturing goals," said Leo Ryu, global segment leader for Communication and Consumer at Dow Corning. "Our new, easily dispensed EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive targets this emerging landscape. Able to deliver instant green strength after it's dispensed, this advanced material can help speed assembly operations. The strong bonds it forms after full cure also support the cost-effective, water-resistant narrow bezels that many designers are incorporating into their next-generation concepts for smart phones, tablets and wearable technologies."
EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive is a reactive material that can be applied neatly as a liquid melt in very thin, <0.5-mm-wide, bonding lines. It cools quickly and cures at room temperature to become a viscoelastic polymer that provides strong, flexible, primerless adhesion to common plastic and metal substrates.
The material offers extended service temperatures from -40°C to 150°C. It will soften when exposed to high temperatures, but revert to its typical properties after cooling. Unlike conventional polyurethane-based hot melt solutions, EA-4600 Silicone Hot Melt Adhesive incorporates ultraviolet (UV) markers to support automated UV inspection of finished parts. It can also be easily reworked within 24 hours of application. Once fully cured, EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive delivers outstanding, durable protection against chemicals, water and dust to enhance the reliability and performance of high-value electronics assemblies.
When designing and assembling smart devices that require narrow bezels and other innovative concepts, EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive's narrow bead width, fast green strength and strong post-cure bond all offer greatly expand options, compared to double-sided tape and conventional thermal cure adhesives. Dow Corning's new product can also enable a 5x improvement in the total cost of ownership vs. double-sided tape, based on 100 million smart phone window bonding operations that incorporate 0.8 mm bezels.
Dow Corning EA-4600 Hot Melt Adhesive is a solventless, one-component, moisture-cure silicone material that offers longer open time and pot life, as well as lower odor and lower levels of volatility compared to conventional organic-based hot melt adhesives. It is available from Dow Corning distributors worldwide.
