Rapid Cure, Environmentally Acceptable Liquid Shim

The combined need for performance, safety, as well as the requirement for zero VOC calls for an innovative approach for formulating a liquid shim resin that can be cured in less than 1 hour. A dual cure system hybrid system is proposed. A UV or near-UV visible light source will trigger a curing process by a free radical reaction. The parts will then be assembled (bonded) and an anionic process will continue in the dark until the final cure is achieved. The initial instant cure will cut the curing time but not compromise the final properties of the adhesive. Further acceleration of the anionic cure can result from subsequent photorelease of a second, basic species.