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The Right Product for the Right Job - Since 1980
The newest addition to Epoxy.com Education Pages is “Epoxy Resin Strengths Explained” which explains the 4 primary strengths that are very important for most civil and mechanical engineering applications of epoxy: compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, and bond strength. “Epoxy Resin Strengths Explained” also discusses the test methods to measure these strengths.
Epoxy.com technical support staff gets asked a lot about epoxy terminology. This page deals with the terms associated with epoxy installation times. Specifically “Epoxy Pot Life” sometimes called the epoxy’s “Working Time“, “Tack Free Time“, “Initial Cure”, and “Final Cure” sometimes called the epoxy’s “Full Chemical Cure“. Keep in mind that all of the information below assumes that the epoxy has been properly measured and mix. The information is specificall based on Epoxy.com Products, but is typically true about many 100% solids epoxies.
The “Pot Life” of epoxy is the time that it takes for it to start gelling in the in the mix vessel (typically a bucket). One important thing to remember is that this is done by a standard which is 200 grams of the material at a given temperature typically 70° F or 77° F. So remember that the bigger you make the batch of Epoxy.com resin, the faster the batch will set. See the Epoxy Pot Life Page for more details.
The “Tack Free Time” of the epoxy is pretty much just what it sounds like. It is the time that the epoxy is no longer sticky to the touch. When the epoxy is “Tack Free” it can be handle or even walked on if necessary, but you will want to be careful because the epoxy will be very vulnerable to scratching right after it becomes “Tack Free”. The “Tack Free Time” given on the product’s Epoxy.com technical data sheet is also at a specific temperature, typically 77°F.
The “Initial Cure” is not the same as “Tack Free“. Typically “Initial Cure” is about twice as long as the Tack Free Time. Most epoxies have about 80% of the epoxy’s final cure at “Initial Cure“. After the Epoxy’s “Initial Cure” the epoxy is still vulnerable to scratching, but typically strong enough that these scratching will be strictly esthetic and not structural. In cases where time permits and esthetics are essential you may want to wait 1.5 to 2 times the “Initial Cure” of the epoxy before you allow heavy traffic or rougher handling. The primary outside force that can effect this time is temperature. The epoxy’s “Initial Cure” time assumes the temperature indicated on the technical data sheet, or 77° F. if not otherwise specified.
When the epoxy has reached its “Final Cure” it has achieved the strengths indicated on the Epoxy.com technical data sheet. It also means that the epoxy has reached its full water resistance and full chemical resistance. This time also is also effected by temperature, similar to all the other times listed above. One interesting note is that “Final Cure” when the epoxy is 99% cured. Epoxy will continue to harden for as much as a year. So the “Final Cure” for epoxy is like the “28 day” cure on concrete. It is typically said that the concrete is fully cured in 28 days. In fact concrete will under the right conditions continue to cure for up to 100 years.
For more information email me at
norm@epoxy.com or visit Epoxy.com “Where to Start” Page for more information.
Norm Lambert
President & Director of Technical Support
Epoxy Systems, Inc Florida & Vermont USA
Available by Phone M-F 9AM-4PM Eastern Time (6 AM – 1 PM Pacific Time)
352-533-2167 (Voice)
352-465-3497 (fax)
norm@epoxy.com
www.epoxy.com
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As the Technical Support Director of Epoxy.com I get a lot of email and phone calls about how to work with the relatively short potlife (typically 30-40 minutes) of 100% Solids Epoxy and similar resin systems.
It is important to understand that Epoxy (and epoxy like resins) generate their own heat when mixed. So larger batches of epoxy will generate more heat then smaller ones. The result of this is that larger batches of epoxy set faster than smaller batches. Start by mixing smaller batches of epoxy and then increase your batch size slowly.
To give you longer working times:
See To Do With Epoxy for more installation tips.
Norm Lambert – Epoxy.com Technical Support Director
Epoxy.com’s 100% solid products (which are most of your product line) are included in many “Green” buildings. The logic for that is this:
Epoxy.com encourages our customers to order material as they need it and to use all their materials before their expiration. That is why we do not require large stocking orders from new dealers, like most other companies. We want our customers to use up material they buy from us and not have any for it run out of shelf life. However, if Epoxy.com products do run out of shelf life, they are typically mixed and cured before disposal as inert common trash.
Thank you for your interest in our products. Please contact me with your questions.
Epoxy Systems, Inc.
Norm Lambert
President & Director of Technical Support
Epoxy Systems, Inc
Florida & Vermont USA
Available by Phone M-F 9AM-4PM Eastern Time (6 AM – 1 PM Pacific Time)
352-533-2167 (Voice)
352-465-3497 (fax)
norm@epoxy.com
www.epoxy.com New Secure Login
www.epoxy.com/wireless Now Available on your web enabled Wireless Devices
Subscribe to Epoxy.com News Feed – Get the latest product information, tricks and tips delivered directly to you via your favorite news reader.