Encapsulants
Encapsulants engineered to succeed in harsh real-world conditions
Encapsulants face a unique combination of challenges once in-service. Thermal cycling can cause mechanical stress through high rates of expansion and contraction. In high temperature environments, an encapsulant’s mass can trap heat leading to premature thermal degradation. Our range of encapsulants deliver the ‘toughness’ to withstand thermal cycling, and where needed, are engineered to provide thermal conductivity to allow for proper heat flow.
The challenges encapsulants face can be numerous. High voltage applications place a demand for dielectric performance. Caustic and explosive environments require robust chemical resistance. Process and application constraints may necessitate a specific viscosity, from very thick materials that resist ‘sag’ to pourable options that flow easily and fill voids around objects of varying shapes and orientations. We address all of these challenges and more when reviewing your encapsulant needs.
- Thermal Class
- Thermal Cycling
- Dielectric Insulation
- Thermal Conductivity
- Compressive Strength
- Impact Strength
- Pot Life / Working Life / Set Time
- Viscosity / Consistency (thick-to-thin)
- Room Temperature Cure / Heat Cure
- What is your application?
- What material/product are you using now, and what properties/conditions/processes are you looking to improve?
- Are there any applicable specification requirements? If so, please describe?
- Are there EHS restrictions or concerns? If so, please describe?
- Do you have a specific type of packaging or material application process in mind?
- How do you anticipate applying the material?
- What are your adhesion requirements? How is adhesion defined (i.e., test method)?
- What are your bonding surfaces?
- What is the approximate volume to encapsulate? Are there mass and/or exothermic temperature considerations?
- Would you like this to be a single-component (elevated temp cure) or two-component (room temp cure) system?
- What are your physical property requirements?
- Viscosity / rheology (thick, pourable)
- Hardness
- Flexibility
- Mechanical strength requirements (flexural, compressive, tensile, or a combination)
- Chemical / environmental / flame resistance
- Thermal aging / thermal class
- Electrical properties, such as dielectric, semi-conductive or conductive
- Color
- What are your application and curing conditions?
- What are you pot life / working time requirements?
- Can the product contain solvents, or must it be 100% solids?
Proper storage is critical to maintaining the quality of an engineered coating, adhesive, saturant or encapsulant. Failure to follow recommended storage instructions can result in compromised material properties during application and in the final cured product.
All Astro products should be stored in their original, sealed containers at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Excessive heat can cause accelerated aging, premature cure/solidification, and may even pose a safety risk for products designated as flammable. Excessively low, and below-freezing storage temperatures can lead to crystallization.
Always refer to the Astro product label for the most up-to-date product-specific storage guidelines.
