4.2.2 Speed and Throughput

Bonding is an assembly process found in many applications and fields, whether at home as a consumer, in maintenance and repair, in the manufacturing of single parts or in mass production. Different fields and applications will have different requirements for adhesive cure speed. In ideal maintenance and overhaul operations (proactive maintenance), systematic inspections identify maintenance issues that can be rectified during planned downtime. In this instance, the cure speed of an adhesive is usually not an issue. However, on the other side of maintenance (reactive maintenance), emergency repairs can be required; here, the cure speed of the adhesive used is often one of the most critical factors.

Another factor influencing the selected cure speed of an adhesive in maintenance operations may be the environmental variation between a manufacturing environment and a maintenance environment. For example, companies will usually manufacture gearboxes for elevators under controlled, standardised climate conditions of 23°C (73°F) and 50% relative humidity. Repair or overhaul will likely occur at higher/lower temperatures and humidity, which increases/decreases the cure speed for many adhesives accordingly. These climatic conditions and their effect on cure speed should be carefully considered, particularly at temperatures below 10°C (50°F).