Pot life
Pot life turns up in 2 fields: corrosion, adhesives. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Pot life in corrosion
Working time after mixing a two-part coating before it has reacted too far to apply properly.
How long a two-pack coating stays sprayable and able to cure properly once the base and curing agent are mixed. Pot life shrinks sharply with heat, with many epoxies losing about half for every 10 C rise. Material past its pot life may still look liquid but will not bond or cure right, so inspectors check mix times and reject overage kits.
"Mixed that kit at 10 and it's 90 degrees out, so pot life is up by 11:30 whether it looks good or not."
Pot life in adhesives
How long a mixed batch of two-part adhesive stays usable before it thickens too much to apply.
Suppliers often define pot life as the time for a set mass, such as 100 grams, to double in viscosity or reach a set temperature. Because curing releases heat, a large mass in a cup runs out of pot life much faster than the same adhesive spread thin. In production it sets how long a mixer can sit idle before it must be purged or changed.
"Pot life on this one is 20 minutes in the cup, so mix small batches, not the whole tub."