A: Generally, anaerobic adhesives are recommended for use on metal surfaces. Some materials are more active than others, and depending on the types of materials used, the curing may be faster or slower.
A: Active and inactive materials are classified as followed:
Active
Brass
Copper Bronze
Manganese Iron
Kovar
Monel®
Nickel
Steel
Galvanized steel
Stainless steel
Titanium
Zinc
Aluminum
Silver
Black Oxide
Magnetite
Inactive
Annodize aluminum
Cadmium
Chrome
Gold
Inconel
Magnesium
Plated parts
A. Please refer to the Technical Data Sheets for detailed data. In general, it takes 24 hours to fully cure and fixture time of under 10 minutes, depending on grades.
A. PH can be measured if it contains water; as anaerobics are insoluble in water, they have no PH value.
A. Anaerobics - a term that includes many of our threadlockers, pipe sealants, retaining compounds and flange sealants - are products that cure in the absence of air. They are designed for metal-to-metal assemblies, although they are sometimes used for other materials. The presence of metal (ions) accelerates their cure. When you assemble parts with an anaerobic and you have excess squeeze-out (outside the joint), it will not harden, due to the anaerobic nature of the product. Simply wipe the excess away with a common solvent like acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Typically anaerobic adhesives fully cure in 24 hours at room temperature under normal ambient conditions when properly used.
A. The bottles are specially formulated oxygen-permeable polyethylene that allows air to pass through the wall of the bottle to maintain stability of the liquid product inside. The bottle is not filled to the top for stability purposes. A Loctite® 50 ml liquid anaerobic adhesive is 50 ml’s of liquid product in a larger-capacity bottle.
A. Anaerobic adhesives are generally not used with most plastics. Anaerobic adhesives will stress crack some plastics, including many thermoplastics like ABS and polycarbonate. If the product is used for metal-to-metal but in close proximity to plastic, there is the possibility of excess liquid product or vapor affecting the plastic. In the case of compatible plastics like acetals, the anaerobic adhesives are simply not the best family of products for effectively locking and/or sealing. Often Loctite® Cyanoacrylates (Instant Adhesives) are substituted if they meet the other application parameters.
A. Yes, you can heat cure anaerobic adhesives to achieve faster full cure. Typically you can heat cure these products at 250°F (121°C) for about one hour of go as low as 150°F (65°C) for about three hours. The one trade-off is the fact that you will probably reduce your ultimate strength. Whenever you accelerate the cross-linking of the polymer, you can reduce your ultimate strength. Carefully test for suitability.
A. We recommend the use of primers such as Loctite® 7649 Primer N and Loctite® 7471 with most anaerobic adhesives, where both parts are classified as “inactive” metals. These metals lack the presence of iron or copper content and thus, lack the “active” metal ions required to fully cure the product in 24 hours. These metals include plated parts, stainless steel, galvanized steel and anodized aluminum, to name a few. If, on the other hand, both or at least one part is an “active” metal, such as plain steel, brass, bronze, copper or iron, there is no need to use a primer to ensure full cure in what is typically 24 hours at room temperature.
A. There are no long-term studies for anaerobic adhesives and compatibility with various elastomers. There is a consensus, though, that liquid anaerobic adhesives upon prolonged contact can negatively impact some elastomers in the form of swelling, cracking and weight change. Customers should carefully test products for compatibility. Some Loctite® dispensing equipment utilizes Viton O-rings and seals specifically because they have been deemed suitable for use with anaerobic adhesives for a reasonable amount of time. Once an anaerobic adhesive cures, there are no compatibility concerns between rubber hardware and the cured, very inert plastic film/anaerobic.
A. Yes. Loctite® anaerobic adhesives can be used on oil-impregnated parts. Just wipe the part clean prior to applying the product. The more oil-tolerant products, like Loctite® 603 Retaining Compound and Loctite® 243 Threadlocker, are good choices because they have better cutting oil action and thus, cure properly and bond and seal effectively after cure.
A: Many people misread the graphs and assume the products never fully cure in the timeframe specified in the graphs. However, the graphs simply illustrate the percentage of strength achieved for a specified time on different metals in comparison to plain steel. People make the assumption that the products take a very long time to cure when the graph is just portraying lower strengths on these other metals, compared to plain steel. The Cure Speed vs. Activator graphs also simply show comparative strength with, for example, dichromated steel versus plain steel, for a specified timeframe. Some people interpret this to show that the product doesn't fully cure in the maximum time of 72 hours portrayed in the graph, whether activator/primer is used or not.