Two-part systems keep reactive components apart until use, which gives long shelf life and allows room-temperature cure of thick sections. They are packaged in dual cartridges with static mixers, in bulk for meter-mix machines, or in cans for hand mixing. The trade-offs are mix-ratio control, limited pot life and the need to purge mixers after breaks.
It's a two-part, so purge a golf ball's worth through the new mixer before you lay the first bead.
Never start a fresh mixer on a cartridge without first bleeding both barrels level, or the first beads come out off-ratio.
Also heard as
- 2K
- two-component
- 2-part
Related terms
Mix ratio
The proportion of resin to hardener in a two-part adhesive, given by volume or by weight.
Pot life
How long a mixed batch of two-part adhesive stays usable before it thickens too much to apply.
Static mixer
A disposable nozzle full of fixed baffles that mixes two adhesive components as they are pushed through.
Dual cartridge
A twin-barrel package that holds both parts of an adhesive and pushes them through a static mixer in fixed ratio.