Henkel Corporation has launched two new products to meet the needs of a changing industrial society, namely the anaerobic adhesive Loctite 5188 and the anaerobic threadlocker Loctite 276.

The new products, which will be released in the autumn, were developed in close cooperation with key players in the automotive and other industries.
Loctite 5188, which was two years in the making, is a flange sealant specially suited for the automotive industry. “We are basically co-adapting to the evolution of car engines,” says one of the engineers involved in the development. Loctite 5188, an anaerobic gasketing material offering flexibility even after long-term operation at high temperatures, can be used for many applications in the automotive and industrial area. Typical applications include metal-to-metal flange assemblies such as gearboxes, housings, covers, etc.
Anaerobic gasketing technology has revolutionised flange sealing of rigid flanges in the automotive industry, and the assembly of heavy equipment. Anaerobic sealants remain liquid when exposed to air, but cure when the metal parts are assembled and the adhesive is confined between mating flanges. OEMs and subsuppliers have long been enjoying the technical and economic benefits of anaerobic gasketing materials, and Loctite 5188 takes this technology one step further.
The use of aluminium to produce light-weight automotive castings has gained wide acceptance, and Loctite 5188 manages to meet the flexibility requirements of modern concepts. “The anaerobic product is designed to function in the most demanding applications. It has very good adhesion to metal surfaces, especially to aluminium, and provides immediate low-pressure sealing,” Henkel said.
“Resistance of the cured product to thermal and chemical stress is above average and provides elongation to compensate for micro-movements resulting from vibration, pressure and temperature changes. As Loctite 5188 allows flanges to come together with metal-to-metal contact, tolerances can be more accurately maintained and the correct clamp load is ensured throughout the life of the assembly. Loctite 5188 has improved oil tolerance, allowing it to seal through slight oil contamination.”

Rapid development of prototypes
Achieving fast fixture on passive metal substrates such as nickel and other plated surfaces is quite a challenge for an anaerobic threadlocker, especially if requirements also call for good sealing performance and high strength, as well as very good thermal and shock resistance, the company observed.
“Loctite 276 meets these requirements,” the company declared. The product was originally developed in as little as two months within the scope of Henkel’s so-called Single Customer Project in reaction to an urgent customer need. The initial screening phase took about a month. After another month, during which three employees of the R&D centre in Dublin devoted themselves full time to the project, the first prototype was ready. Afterwards the product was fine-tuned to give an optimal combination of characteristics for the market environment.
“There could be no compromise where performance was concerned, because a high production output is one of the key criteria. The people in the Henkel Labs in Ireland have accomplished their mission: Loctite 276 is a high-strength anaerobic threadlocker that achieves fast fixture even on passive metal substrates. It provides locking and sealing of threaded assemblies. The product cures reliably even at low temperatures but can withstand up to +150 °C.”
The development of those two adhesives goes to show that the increased pressure of difficult times can lead to finding creative solutions that result in innovative products, the company reflected. “Technologically, this might already have been possible for quite a while, but a crisis provides the need to focus efforts and push forward,” it said.

Quick cure products
In today’s challenging economy where manufacturers are looking for more effective ways to reduce cycle times, racking space and overall costs, Henkel Corporation has introduced a complete line of Loctite light cure silicone adhesives/sealants that cure fully in seconds on exposure to high-powered UV or visible light.
Loctite light cure silicones deliver an elastic seal with excellent degradation resistance. With cure depths up to two inches, these solvent-free, one-part silicones bond well to silicone, plastic and metal substrates. Designed for general industrial bonding and sealing, Loctite light cure silicones are used to assemble air conditioning and heating equipment, optical instruments, medical/surgical devices, exterior lighting and enclosures, circuit breakers, electrical connectors/sensors and fiber optics. These materials can also be used to replace moulded or die-cut gaskets and for coating applications.
All Loctite light cure silicones offer superior weather, temperature and moisture resistance. These translucent materials will not degrade or yellow on long-term exposure to light. The products can be dispensed manually or with Loctite semi-automatic dispensing systems.
A total of seven products make up the new Loctite light cure silicone line. Loctite 5050 is a cured-in-place silicone gasketing material that replaces costly, unreliable compression gaskets. Loctite 5055 is a low-viscosity, self-leveling silicone designed for high-speed potting, coating, bonding and sealing. Loctite 5056 is a medium viscosity, flowable material that offers high adhesion to hard-to-bond substrates, and superior heat and humidity resistance.
The remaining four products offer a secondary moisture cure that ensures complete cure in shadowed areas. Three of these products also feature a built-in fluorescence detection system for easy quality inspection.