Film adhesives are epoxies taken to a partly reacted, tacky but solid state and supplied as rolls with a light scrim for thickness control. They give uniform bondlines, clean handling and high strength, and they are standard in aerospace bonding and honeycomb sandwich panels. They are stored frozen, logged for out-time once thawed, and cured in an autoclave or oven, typically at 120 or 177 C.
Log the out-time on that film adhesive roll, it's been on the bench since first shift.
Also heard as
- adhesive film
- film
Related terms
Epoxy
A thermoset adhesive cured by reacting epoxy resin with a hardener, the benchmark for strong, rigid structural bonds.
Shelf life
The use-by window for a sealed container of adhesive, tied to the storage conditions on the label.
Post-cure
Extra time at elevated temperature after the first cure, which finishes crosslinking and raises Tg and heat resistance.
Bondline
The layer of adhesive between two bonded parts, and in shop talk the thickness of that layer.