Foam gasketing, gluing, potting - name the application

In addition to the two-component material systems, Sonderhoff is also a manufacturer of mixing and dosing systems, which are used for the automatic application of these liquid to pasty materials on industrially manufactured components. The company group can thus deliver everything from a single source. Formed In-Place (Foam) Gasket dosing technology has become an efficient, accurate and economical manufacturing method in many industries for sealing, bonding and potting of components. An advantage, especially when it comes to the automatic material application of large quantities and complex component geometries in serial production.

At the show, Sonderhoff will feature a live demonstration of how precise the dispensing cell SMART-M is foam sealing the new polyurethane based foam seal system FermaporK31 Low-Emission. In addition, the focus is on polyurethane foam gaskets FermaporK31 Fast-Cure for highly clocked serial production and the newly developed polyurethane based 2-Component adhesive system Fermaglue.

The design of the dispensing cell SMART-M is modular and it is flexibly adaptable to different production concepts. With its small outer dimensions of 1200 x 1700 mm (width x depth), the dispensing cell requires a minimum footprint of only about 3 m². The linear robot used there has a travel range of 500 x 600 x 200 mm (width x depth x height). The robot moves the mixing head precisely over the component contour for the material application. The SMART-M is thus likely to be of great interest to customers in the electronics, telecommunications and IT industries as well as to manufacturers of medical devices, which must primarily seal small-format components. Users also appreciate the high operating comfort and the new safety standard of the dispensing cell. Thanks to standardized individual modules and modularity of the cell, subsequent conversions can be carried out with little planning and time expenditure.

In the standard version, the SMART-M dispensing cell is equipped with a lifting door on the front. The parts are manually inserted into the cell on the working area for foam sealing, gluing or potting. At the Sonderhoff booth the feeding of parts to the dispensing cell is done user-friendly by means of a rotary indexing table with a 180° partitioning for an insertion and a work position turning within 1.5 seconds.

For this semi-automatic part feeding the access of the insertion area at the cell is secured by a light grid. Alternatively, the parts can also be fed fully automatically via a transfer belt running through the cell.

Now, with the new programmable safety logic for the dispensing cell, adjustments of the safety functions can be made much easier and faster. This is a clear advantage compared to conventional safety circuits, which are not flexible with hard-wired functions. The safety functions of the servo controlled axes of the linear robot and the optional rotary indexing table are fully integrated into the safety logic and may therefore very quickly respond to unforeseen safety events.

The foam sealing, adhesive and potting systems based on polyurethane or silicone are used for a wide range of applications in various user industries, for the sealing, gluing or potting of control cabinets, electronics, lighting housings, vehicle parts, air conditioning systems, filter packages, photovoltaic modules, packaging and household appliances. Components and modules must be sealed against moisture, dust and harmful media after assembly. Emission reduced foam sealings seal filter housings for fresh air intake in the driver's compartment, adhesives in different degrees of hardness are applied for various parts or silicone foam seals guarantee temperature-resistant housing seals in the engine compartment. The correct selection of the raw materials decides about a consistently high quality when sealing, gluing and potting. The mixing and dosing system from Sonderhoff ensures a precise application process of the materials to the components.

The polyurethane foam seal systems Fermapor K31 Low-Emission from Sonderhoff provide a leak-free seat of the filter on the air intake passage so that no unfiltered air can past the filter into the car interior. The antimicrobial sealing properties prevent microorganisms and molds contaminating the sealings of air filters used for air conditioning systems. This fulfils the hygiene requirements of the VDI 6022 directive for air filters.

Sonderhoff has continued to improve the low-emission foam seals. They now meet the limit requirements of almost all automotive manufacturers. The strict target values of the manufacturer's specification DBL 5452-13 from Daimler for low-emission polyurethane foam seals are met by Sonderhoff.

The low-emission foam seals from Sonderhoff, which are particularly popular with car manufacturers and their suppliers, contribute to reducing the fogging effect, the fogging of windshields or the inside of headlights, as well as reducing volatile organic compound loads of the air in the interior of the car.

Fast-Cure foam seals for high-speed process manufacturing

The Fermapor K31 Fast-Cure systems shown on the Midest are fast-reacting 2-component polyurethane foam seals that Sonderhoff has developed especially for high-speed process manufacturing such as in the automotive or in the packaging industry. Only after approximately 120 to 180 seconds, the surface of the Fast-Cure foam sealant is tack-free at room temperature. This allows the foamed parts to be processed quickly in the subsequent production process and thus installed earlier. This saves energy costs, possible costs for temporary storage of components, investment in tempering furnaces or transfer belts for long curing lengths. The Fast-Cure foam seals from Sonderhoff put an end to the waiting for components for the next step of further processing. The faster processing and thus earlier final assembly of the components lead to a considerable time saving in the entire manufacturing process, to lower unit costs and to more efficient production.

The fast-reacting Fast-Cure foams have low water absorption and achieve protection classes up to IP69K depending on the component design and the foam system together. They have good adhesion on a wide range of materials, on certain substrates after previous pretreatment. The viscosities of the fast-cure foams can be flexibly adapted from liquid to pasty to the particular component geometry. Different Shore hardnesses can be achieved. The Fast-Cure foams can therefore easily be installed together with the part at final assembly.

Polyurethane adhesives – the right choice for a wide range of applications

New materials and their combinations generate new design possibilities in lightweight construction. Mounting parts and attachments for vehicles, made out of thermoplastic or duroplastic materials (partially fibre-reinforced) or plastic components with metal constituent are increasingly bonded with 2-component polyurethane adhesives. In vehicles, for instance, there are a number of such components: CFRP sandwich constructions (e.g. truck bodies), electrostatic metal frames for glass sunroofs, PMMA or PC components with scratch-resistant coatings, roof panels, mouldings and spoilers as well as ABS or PP based tailgates.

The 2-component polyurethane adhesive systems Fermaglue from Sonderhoff can achieve optimal adhesive results in different degrees of hardness for different substrate combinations of the parts to be bonded. They fulfil the high demands on mechanics and climatic stability. The gluing process requires precise mixing and dosing of the adhesive components while maintaining an exactly defined mixing ratio. This requires precise system engineering with systematic process monitoring. Sonderhoff has the right mixing and dosing systems for this. They ensure optimum processing of the polyurethane adhesives and a process-consistent dosing accuracy.