PC gluing

Polycarbonate (PC) is a plastic which, since its development in 1953, has become increasingly important in industrial production and everyday use. It is characterized by its impact resistance, strength, rigidity and optical properties (transparency). In contrast to acrylic glass (PMMA), however, there is no bonding process that enables a secure and optically high-quality connection between PC components. The aim is to develop a UV-curing adhesive and the associated manufacturing and testing process for joining PC components at abutting edges and miter cuts.

The aim of the project is to design the refractive index of the adhesive to be developed in such a way that an optically flawless bond can be produced. The mechanical limits of the bond should correspond to those of the PC material. In order to obtain higher adhesion and strength in the unaged state as well as after durability testing, investigations of various surface pretreatment methods are carried out. These include low-pressure (LP) and atmospheric-pressure plasma (AD), machine cleaning and activation by flame treatment. These methods will be compared by measuring surface tension using test inks. The measurement results should give an indication of the wettability of the surfaces to be bonded. The strength tests on the bonded components will be carried out using tensile shear specimens to DIN EN 1465 and test fixtures specially developed for these test purposes. The test results should thus provide concrete information on the influence of the pretreatment methods on the strength of the bonded joint. At the end of the project, the results obtained will be transferred to real components at the project partner Schäfer GmbH and the manageability of the developed process will be checked with regard to application and curing of the adhesive system.