Silicone adhesive to replace fasteners in PA oil pans

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  • Adheres to both aluminum and polyamide
  • No mechanical fasteners needed anymore

Munich-based chemical Group Wacker and INPRO* have developed a silicone adhesive-sealant for mounting vehicle oil pans. Sold under the name Elastosil RT 779, the new product adheres to both aluminum and polyamide. Plastic oil pans can now be mounted without mechanical fasteners. The adhesive possesses good sealing properties and is highly resistant to oil, heat and dynamic loads. The adhesive can be applied by machine and rapidly cures at room temperature.

Fully automatic application with two-component mixing & metering unit

The adhesive withstands all the various loads generated during vehicle operation and can be applied fully automatically with a two-component mixing and metering unit. The material is a further development of Elastosil 76540, a silicone adhesive which was previously used for bonding both polyamide and aluminum oil pans. Elastosil RT 779 surpasses its predecessor in terms of processing properties, storage stability and resistance to hot engine oil under dynamic loads.

Plastic oil pans for vehicles weigh much less than their steel counterparts. Thanks to ELASTOSIL® RT 779 silicone adhesive-sealant from Wacker components like these can be mounted and bonded permanently. The adhesive withstands all the various loads generated during vehicle operation and can be applied fully automatically with a two-component mixing and metering unit. (Photo courtesy of inpro Innovationsgesellschaft, Berlin)

Plastic oil pans for vehicles weigh much less than their steel counterparts. Thanks to Elastosil RT 779 silicone adhesive-sealant from Wacker components like these can be mounted and bonded permanently. The adhesive withstands all the various loads generated during vehicle operation and can be applied fully automatically with a two-component mixing and metering unit. (Photo courtesy of inpro Innovationsgesellschaft, Berlin)

This self-adhesive, condensation-curing two-part silicone rubber features a balanced range of rheological properties. It has a high green strength, but thins enough under shear to enable it to be readily processed on two-component mixing and metering equipment. The material also cures rapidly. Even if the container has been in protracted storage, the pot life is just five to ten minutes. Substantial improvements have also been made to the storage stability of the curing-agent component.

Good long-term adhesion to aluminum and polyamide

The adhesive-sealant provides very good long-term adhesion to aluminum and polyamide, without the need for priming. Just 20 minutes after mounting, the bond is strong enough to allow further operations on the engine and oil pan. This reduces cycle times in the production process. When fully cured, the adhesive has a bond strength far in excess of 0.25 megapascals. As the area of the adhesive surface is several thousand square millimeters, vehicle oil pans bonded with Elastosil RT 779 can still support a weight of over 100 kilograms after years of service. The adhesive therefore exceeds all the relevant manufacturing specifications on the mounting of such parts.

* INPRO (Innovationsgesellschaft für fortgeschrittene Produktionssysteme in der Fahrzeugindustrie mbH), headquartered in Berlin, is a joint venture by the companies Daimler, Volkswagen, SABIC, Siemens and Thyssen-Krupp. Its objective is to drive forward innovations in automotive production and to transfer research results to industrial applications. INPRO has about 100 employees who are currently working on developments in joining and materials technology, production testing technology, simulation technology and the digital factory.



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