The Importance of Precoat Locking Agents for Female Threads
Until recently, ThreeBond relied on Micro Encapsulation (MEC) only for precoating male threads such as bolts or screws. Since it’s not always possible for those male threads to be precoated because they are a fixture of the assembled part, we saw an opportunity to create a better solution. By creating a specific precoat locking agent for female threads, we’ve solved a common problem for our manufacturing clients.
Three Bond 2481 (hereafter abbreviated as TB2481) is coated to female threads with a microcapsule locking agent and has excellent bonding and chemical resistance just as with previous MEC products. In the case of coating female threads, the quantity of microcapsules remaining on the locking surface diminishes and seems to create a performance problem. But TB2481’s locking strength equals the previous medium strength MEC for male fasteners, even for tight clearances. Some of the most noteworthy features of the female precoat locking agents include:
Types of Locking Agents
There are three main types of locking agents offered by ThreeBond and each type has a different feature and application.- Solvent locking agents – These locking agents are set by organic solvent evaporation. They coat well, harden slowly, and are low strength. Their long shelf life makes them ideal for applications including sealing and bonding screws, fitted portions, bonded surfaces and for fasteners of all pipe diameters.
- Anaerobic locking agents – These locking agents react and set primarily upon the removal of oxygen. The various strengths and hardening speeds make it ideal for sealing and bonding screws, fitted parts, bonded surfaces and for locking bolts that need higher strengths.
- Precoat locking agents – These work by breaking open the microcapsule to allow the main agent to react with the hardener. Used exclusively for screws, these locking agents have a wide application range.
What is MEC for Female Threads?
At ThreeBond, we’ve always aimed “to develop products which improve quality at the same time reduce cost,” and that’s exactly what we did when we created our precoat agents for female threads. Our customers needed something that they could confidently use in situations where it wasn’t possible to precoat the male threads. Our R&D developed MEC for Female Threads by combining a successful processing technique and solving the problem of too many capsules rubbing off onto the male threads before reaching bonding surface caused by tight clearance.Three Bond 2481 (hereafter abbreviated as TB2481) is coated to female threads with a microcapsule locking agent and has excellent bonding and chemical resistance just as with previous MEC products. In the case of coating female threads, the quantity of microcapsules remaining on the locking surface diminishes and seems to create a performance problem. But TB2481’s locking strength equals the previous medium strength MEC for male fasteners, even for tight clearances. Some of the most noteworthy features of the female precoat locking agents include:
- Storage stability
- Sealability at room temperature
- Heat seal-ability
