Application Guide

Sealant and Adhesive Surface Preparation Guide

Non Porous Substrates:

• Clean substrates with 100% Industrial Alcohol Cleaner or Methylated Spirits.
• Mask substrates if applicable.
• Abrade substrates to be bonded /sealed with minimum 100grit paper to create a mechanical key.
• Clean substrates with Methylated Spirits or 100% Industrial Alcohol Cleaner ensuring that substrates are free from dust, dirt, oils and any other contaminates. Allow time for cleaner to evaporate.
• Apply primer if required (refer technical data sheet)
• Apply Fixtech adhesive/ sealant to the prepared surface
• First “Dry Tool” off to ensure the adhesive sealant is in position and all the bond zones are sealed, then if required you can secondary tool the surface with a sprayed solution containing only a liquid pH neutral mild soap diluted with clean water, spray over the surface of the adhesive sealant and tool as required before a skin has formed.
• Remove the masking tape at this time pulling along and away from the adhesive sealant. Do not pull vertically off the sealant as this could cause a lift in the adhesive sealant if it was not terminated on the masking tape edge.
• Clean up excess adhesive/ sealant from the substrate with Methylated Spirits or 100% Industrial Alcohol Cleaner.

Do not tool with solvents:

Tooling Fixtech adhesive sealant with solvents or other chemicals will result in discolouration and adhesive/ sealant breakdown. Methylated Spirits, Acetone and Turps etc. are not suitable tooling agents. Adhesive/ sealant should not be applied over fresh solvent based coatings and bedding compounds; application can result in bubble formation within the adhesive/ sealant generated by the uncured solvent coating under, reduced bond strength, increased cure time, tackiness and chemical breakdown of the adhesive sealant.

Resistance to Chemical Agents:

Good resistance to fresh and salt water, alphatic solvents, grease, diluted inorganic acids and pH neutral alkalis.
Poor resistance to aromatic solvents, concentrated acids, oils, chlorinated hydrogens and high pH soaps.

Applications:

Structural bonding adhesive sealant suitable for direct glazing with high-end strength, flexibility and finishing. Structural bonding in applications subject to vibration. Ideal for bonding and sealing of floor plates and wall systems. Ideal for elastic bonding of panels made from carbon fibre or fibreglass, aluminium, steel, lead, copper, brass, marine stainless steel, glass, mirror, paint coated surfaces, PVC, ABS, timber including teak, polyester, polystyrene etc. Application temperature: +5°C – 35°C.

Substrates:

Nature: clean, dry, free of dust and grease.

Priming: Porous surfaces should be primed with Fixseal Epoxy. PP & PE plastics must first have PR20 Plastic Primer applied. Non-porous surfaces abrade and clean with Methylated Spirits or 100% Industrial Alcohol Cleaner. Do not use paint preparation solvent cleaners as these could contain oils and leave an oil film after use, it will if used, interfere with the bonding of the adhesive sealant to the substrate.

Paintability:

Fixtech FIX (MSP series) adhesive sealants may be over-painted even wet on wet. However due to the large number of professional paints and systems, flow-coat systems and 1 and 2 pack varnishes available we strongly suggest a compatibility test before application. The drying time of alky resin based paints may increase. Oil based single pack varnishes will not cure over the surface of the adhesive/sealant, as it cannot penetrate the surface.

Substrate Surfaces:

Fixtech Adhesive/sealants can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces. However, due to the fact that specific substrates such as plastics, etc. may vary among manufacturers we recommend preliminary compatibility tests before all applications.

Health- and Safety Recommendation:

Apply the usual industrial hygiene. Verified by NOHSC as non–hazardous

Remarks:

This is a typical set of guidelines for applying and finishing using Fixtech Adhesive/Sealants.Each product and substrate can have alternative applications and for these refer to more information on the Application guidelines sheets or the Technical Data Sheet (TDS) for each product in our range. If you are unsure please contact your nearest Fixtech Distributor or directly to any of our Fixtech offices. We are here to make your adhesive/sealant experience perfect first time around with Fixtech Bonding Solutions.