Appliance Design - August 2007 - (Page 45)

JOINING Property F ix tu re T im e Skin Over Time U L T e m p e ra tu re R a tin g C u re T h ro u gh D e p th O dor C o r r o s iv e One-Part RTV Silicone 4 to 24 h o u rs 20-60 minutes 140° C 3/ ” M a x 8 V in e ga r Yes New Two-Part Silicone 10 m in u te s < 5 minutes 180° C U n lim ite d M ild No Table 1. Comparison of properties between RTV and new two-part silicones. 4Floor space: Parts racking can consume as much as 2,000 square feet of floor space for RTV silicones. Using a floor space cost of $10/ ft2 per year, converting from an RTV silicone to new two-part silicones can deliver $20,000 per year in savings. 4Capital equipment: Starting from scratch, both silicone technologies require a one-time capital equipment investment. The RTV silicone will require at least one 55-gallon drum un-loader, header pipe and multiple dispense guns. Average cost would be approximately $15,000, depending upon complexity. The two-part silicone system will need two drum un-loaders and metering equipment that costs approximately $50,000. Assuming the existing drum un-loader can be utilized, the switch from an RTV manufacturing process to the two-part silicone requires a capital investment of $35,000. The payback period for the equipment required would be less than 5 months, as shown in Table 2. By using the two-part silicones, appliance manufacturers also eliminate the energy and equipment maintenance costs associated with the humidity chambers needed to cure one-part RTV silicones. This benefit further supports the economics of a switching to the new adhesive technology. The extremely fast fixture speed and high temperature limits of new two-part silicones make them an excellent alternative to doublesided tape in oven-door assembly applications. These new silicones are also being used on slide-in/drop-in ranges to bond smoothtop glass to aluminized rails and enameled burner boxes, significantly decreasing WIP. Case history New two-part silicones from Henkel Corp. have become an integral production component at Baron Systems & Solutions, a division of Schott North America. Baron is a leading contract manufacturer of appliance subassemblies such as glass range cooktops, oven doors, and control panels. Baron, whose appliance industry experience spans 15 years, was looking to replace the slow, labor-intensive RTV silicone technology it had been using with materials that offered better process speeds and lower costs. Representatives at Baron evaluated numerous materials and eventually settled on Loctite“ 5600™ Silicone Sealant for bonding glass/ ceramic stovetops to stove frames. Combined with Baron’s existing automated dispensing systems, fast-curing Loctite 5600 silicone sealant produced one completed stovetop every 8 seconds, with little or no waste. In addition, the assemblies could be handled within minutes. Switching to the new two-part silicone allowed for continuous processing of stovetops and eliminated costly WIP. < For more information, enter number. . . . . . . . . . . 320 Or email: john.lafond@us.henkel.com Other applications New, two-part silicone adhesives are also being used in a variety of other high-temperature, appliance-assembly applications. Twopart silicones are replacing heat-cure silicones in bonding mounting brackets onto glass front dishwashers. In this application, manufactures have eliminated the energy costs associated with cure ovens and the work-in-process involved with post-cure cooling. This new class of silicone can also be used to replace the welds that mount rails on the underside of stainless steel gas ranges. Welding equipment is expensive to maintain, and the process can cause surface cosmetic damage that is costly and labor intensive to remove from the range top. By replacing welds with two-part silicones, manufacturers can realize significant cost savings. www.applianceDESIGN.com AD02074BTM.indd 1 For more Information Enter 112 applianceDESIGN August 2007 45 1/3/07 12:29:46 PM http://www.tog-l-loc.com http://www.tog-l-loc.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - August 2007

Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A Reed Switch is Simople, yet Versatile, and Designers are Finding New Uses for this Time-Tested Technology A Novel Actuation and Sensing Technology can Register a Light Touch, but Resist Blows from a Hammer Tracing the Source of Noise is Made Easier with Noise Source Identification Methods Appliance Noise can be Annoying, but Designers have Many Material Choices to Help Rein in the Racket Nanocomposites are No Longer a Technology for the Future. These Plastic Materials are Already on the Job A New High-Strength, Low-Density Glass-Microsphere Additive can Improve Plastic Part and Molding Performance A New Electromagnetic Weld/Bonding Process Helps Ensure Long-Term Integrity of Joints in Plastic Parts Snap-Based Technology Eases Installation and Makes Products More Serviceable Two-Part Silicone Adhesives Provide a Rapid-Cure Alternative to Traditional One-Part Silicones Classified DesignMart Advertiser’s Index Association Report: GAMA

Appliance Design - August 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.