UV Curing Optical Cement

Opti 421

Daniel Lam
November 16, 2007

Introduction

UV curing optical cement is an adhesive that cures quickly under UV light. It can
be used to bond together many optical elements made from a variety of materials such as
glass and plastic. This technical memo will describe different products of UV curing
optical cement as well as provide an overview of the properties associated with it. The
memo will also cover how to apply and remove the adhesive, provide some companies
that sell this material, as well as describe some advantages and limitations to using UV
curable optical cement.

Characteristics

UV curing optical cement is an adhesive that is highly absorptive in the ultraviolet

wavelengths—approximately 254-378 nm. By exposing it to UV light, the material
quickly hardens and making it a good adhesive for quick bonding. The cement is also
transparent in the visible to the near infrared spectrum as well. Additionally, UV curing
optical cement exhibits good resistance to high temperature and high humidity. The
adhesive also cures quickly within a few seconds when applying a UV source over the
bond. However, this is only considered “pre-cure” for some cement types such as
Summers Optical J-91 and P92 types. For these types of UV adhesives, it may take about
an hour for it to fully cure.

Applications

These adhesives can be used in a variety of applications ranging from

optoelectronics, glass to glass bonding, fiber optic bonding, fiber splicing, lens bonding,
attaching ceramics, quartz, plastics, and metal components together.

How to Apply

The adhesive is fairly simple to apply and there are different techniques used
depending on the geometry. First of all, UV curing cements do no require mixing unlike
their two component adhesive counterparts. The general procedure is to apply the
cement, rotate the center axis of the upper element around the center axis of the lower
element, allow the extra adhesive to run-off and get rid of air bubbles. Then a UV light
source is held over the object at about 1 in away and held there for a few seconds.
For small precision bonding the adhesive is applied drop wise to the center of one
surface. The second surface is lowered at a slight angle onto the adhesive-laden surface
and light pressure is used to work the adhesive out to the edges as shown in figure A.

For square and rectangular laminates, the adhesive is applied in an "X" pattern from
corner to corner. Additional drops are added to the center of the X. The two sheets are
laminated starting at one end to push the adhesive and air out in front of it. When the
second surface is brought into contact the adhesive in the center spreads out in a circular
fashion and the corners also have adhesive without trapping air bubbles as shown in
figure B.

For large laminates a thin layer of adhesive should be applied to the whole surface using
a draw bar or rollercoaster. The two sheets are laminated starting at one end to push the
adhesive and air out in front of it as shown in figure C.

Figures are from Norland Products.

How to Remove

Several methods can be used to remove the adhesives. The easiest and simplest
method is to immerse the lens in a solvent such as methylene chloride. Usually small
lenses can be separated easily before it is cured by an overnight soak. However, fully
cured lenses will take longer because the adhesive is more densely packed in the center
and slows the solvent from reaching the center. To separate and break these bonds, a
slight thermo shock may be used. This is when the lens is heated to about 150oF and then
quickly immersed in the solvent. The sudden contraction will break some of the bonds
allowing the solvent to reach the center.

Alternately, the glass can be heated until the bonds break and the glass separates.
One can heat the glass in hot oil at 400oF and in a few minutes the bonds will separate.
Heating the glass in a vacuum or a heated sand bath will also work as well, but it requires
higher temperatures. Sometimes at these higher temperatures the glass may not be able
to withstand the heat. Thus, one should take caution when attempting these heated
methods.

Where to buy

There are a variety of locations to buy this product and the costs are fairly cheap ranging
from about $15-75 a bottle depending on the quantity and use. Below is table 1 with

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 some companies that sell UV curing optical cement as well as their webpage to contact
them.

Company Website
EMS Summers Optical http://www.emsdiasum.com/summers/optical/cements/default.htm
Norland Products http://www.norlandprod.com/
Dymax http://www.dymax.com/
Table 1. List of companies and their websites.

Product Variations

There are numerous types of UV curing cement depending on the application and
strength required. For this part, the information about the UV cement use and properties
are taken from Norland Products and listed below.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION - SIZE

NOA 60 General purpose adhesive for bonding doublets, prisms or mounting components.

NOA 61 Preferred adhesive for military optics. Meets MIL-A-3920. Used for optics exposed to
temperature extremes. Low shrinkage.
NOA 63 Cures well in thick sections. Use as a fillet bond to hold lenses in place or for bonding
where low fluorescence or good transmission in UV range is required.
NOA 65 Flexible adhesive suitable for low strain applications or for cold blocking of lenses.

NOA 68 Flexible adhesive for glass or plastics such as polycarbonate CAB or acrylic.

NOA 71 Provides a strong bond to glass surfaces and has excellent clarity for light guides and
other applications.
NOA 72 Low viscosity adhesive for bonding glass or plastics such as polycarbonate, CAB or
acrylic. Cures with UV or visible light.
NOA 73 Flexible adhesive with low viscosity for bonding delicate parts.

NOA 74 Very low viscosity adhesive used for bonding CAB, glass and other plastics.

NOA 75 Low viscosity adhesive used for bonding polarized and polyester film, nylon, glass and
other plastics.
NOA 76 Recommended for bonding glass to plastic.

NOA 78 Recommended for bonding plastic to plastic or glass to plastic.

NOA 81 Fast curing adhesive for tacking or bonding. Excellent adhesion to glass or metal.
Produces a hard, resilient bond.
NOA 83H Fast curing adhesive that will cure with UV or heat for tacking or bonding UV opaque
materials.
NOA 88 Low outgassing adhesive for aerospace or electronic applications. Excellent

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 transmission in UV range.

Table 2. Norland UV Adhesives and their uses. Information taken from Norland site.

ADHESION TO: TYPICAL PROPERTIES

Viscosity at
25 Degrees Refractive Modulus Tensile Elongation Shore D
Type Cure Glass Metal Plastic Color C Index PSI PSI at Failure Hardness
NOA UV Good Good Fair Clear 300 CPS 1.56 135,000 2,800 35% 81
60
NOA UV Excellent Excellent Fair Clear 300 CPS 1.56 150,000 3,000 38% 85
61
NOA UV Good Good Fair Clear 2,500 CPS 1.56 240,000 5,000 6% 90
63
NOA UV Good Good Fair Clear 1,000 CPS 1.52 20,000 1,500 80% 50
65
NOA UV Excellent Good Good to Clear 5,000 CPS 1.54 20,000 2,500 80% 60
68 Excellent
NOA UV Excellent Excellent Fair Clear 200 CPS 1.56 55,000 1,300 43% 86
71
NOA UV/ Excellent Good Good to Clear 155 CPS 1.56 2,400 500 34% 75
72 VIS Excellent
NOA UV Excellent Good Fair Clear 140 CPS 1.56 1,600 200 16% 60
73
NOA UV Excellent Good Excellent Clear 80-95 cps 1.52 2900 217 10% 30
74 to Good
NOA UV/ Excellent Good Excellent Slight 80-95 cps 1.52 2610 164 7% 25
75 VIS to Good Yellow
Tint
NOA UV/ Excellent Good Excellent Clear 4,500 CPS 1.51 970 450 47% 30
76 VIS
NOA UV/ Excellent Good Excellent Yellow 9,000 CPS 1.50 1140 649 57% 55
78 VIS Tint
NOA UV Excellent Excellent Fair Clear 300 CPS 1.56 200,000 3,000 25% 90
81
NOA UV/ Excellent Excellent Fair Clear 250 CPS 1.56 160,000 3,500 30% 85
83H HEAT
NOA UV Excellent Excellent Fair Clear 250 CPS 1.56 112,000 1,900 43% 90
88
Table 3. Optical Properties of Norland Product’s Optical Adhesives from Norland.

As one can see, the index of refraction is constant at 1.56. There are various strengths as
seen in the large changes in modulus. However, the tensile strength is between 2000-
3000 psi for most of the adhesives. As for CTE, many of Norland’s UV adhesives are

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around 240 ppm/oC. Shrinkage percentages around for these products are between 0.25-
4%.

Advantages and Limitations

There are many advantages to using UV curable optical cements. There are a
wide application in opto-mechanical assemblies. It allows one to align and check the
assemblies before bonding and has a quick cure time to hold the alignment in place. It
works in a wide variety of compounds to produce coatings, bonds, and can function in a
large range of temperatures from -80o to 350oF. Furthermore, UV systems curve
substrates a much lower temperatures compared to thermal ovens and can cure with only
a brief temperature change. Plus UV curing does not pollute making it economically
attractive.

ome disadvantages to UV curing is that it requires a UV lamp and the substance

must be exposable to UV. UV light can be dangerous after prolonged exposure as well as
it can damage certain materials. Additionally, UV light works really well with small
bonds, but it will not be as effective with larger bonds as the light has to penetrate
through the material.

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