Henkel Corp. recently introduced Loctite AA3951 and Loctite AA3953 — two new high-elongation, high-flexibility, LED-curable adhesives specifically designed for use on flexible medical devices made of TPE and TPU.
Both TPE and TPU are substrates that medical device manufacturers are increasingly specifying, according to Henkel.
The new adhesives have a fixture time of 1 to 3 seconds using a Loctite high-output LED curing system. The Loctite AA3951 and Loctite AA3953 deliver elongations greater than 200% and bond strengths greater than 450 PSI on polycarbonate, acrylic and hard-to-bond materials such as HDPE and LDPE.
Henkel is marketing the new adhesives for assembling a range of disposable medical devices including tube sets, IV sets, respiratory circuits, catheters, fluid containers and certain reusable devices such as endoscopes. Both adhesives meet Henkel protocols based upon ISO-10993 biocompatibility standards, with certificates available on request.
Loctite AA3951 has a viscosity of 100cP and can fill gaps up to 0.005-in., while the viscosity of Loctite AA3953 is 500 cP, allowing it to fill gaps as large as 0.12-in. Both colorless adhesives can withstand medium to high humidity levels and perform well in operating temperatures from -65 to 300F.
