Medical-Grade Adhesive Technology Cures Using Visible LightMedical-Grade Adhesive Technology Cures Using Visible Light

Originally Published MPMN March 2006

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Medical-Grade Adhesive Technology Cures Using Visible Light

Susan Shepard

A new technology enables a company to cure adhesives completely using visible instead of ultraviolet light. This eliminates operator exposure to UV rays, generates less heat, minimizes equipment costs and requirements, and reduces maintenance costs.

Henkel Corp. (Rocky Hill, CT) offers its Loctite visible light–cure technology that relies solely upon the visible light spectrum to deliver safe, effective, immediate curing for many medical device applications.

The system includes a range of adhesives and dispensing and curing equipment that requires no venting or specialized protective equipment to ensure worker safety. Through UV blocking, the adhesives cure clear and select color substrates, including translucent variations of blue, purple, white, and green. The materials are pending ISO 10993 biocompatibility compliance and offer good adhesion to polycarbonate, PVC, and ABS.

Suitable for assembling a range of medical devices, the technology can be used on needles, syringes, tubing, connectors, hearing aids, fluid collection reservoirs, and designs made with select translucent substrates that will not transmit UV light. The adhesives are available in low- and high-viscosity formulations, and offer fluorescence for quality control inspection.

According to the company, the visible light–cure equipment requires a lower capital investment over UV-cure systems, and relies upon long-life lampsthat can reduce ongoing maintenance and bulb replacement costs. Users of the technology can also free up manufacturing floor space once dedicated to large curing ovens and temporary storage of work in progress.
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