Conductive Compounds

EP-600 is a unique, two part electrically conductive epoxy adhesive used for component attachment, termination and other applications in hybrid circuits, membrane keypads and other electromechanical assemblies. The thixotropic properties of EP-600 make it an ideal material for screen printing or dot dispense applications. The non-stringing characteristics of this adhesive make it an ideal material for high speed dot dispense processes where low temperature curing is required.

EP-600 exhibits excellent adhesion to most metal and plastic substrates, excellent temperature resistance and toughness and it allows for differences in coefficients of thermal expansion between two bonded substrates. Lateral component push off testing on print treated mylar substrates show that EP-600 has 30 to 40% greater bond strength than other conductive epoxy adhesives.

Convenient mix ratios and packaging in pre-weighed amounts allow for easy use in fast paced production environments. EP-600 is also available in dual, pre-weighed and sealed plastic pouches or pre-mixed and frozen in syringes.

Conductive Compounds, Inc. can modify the cure speed, working time or rheology of EP-600 to make it more compatible with your unique manufacturing process.

TYPICAL PROPERTIES Appearance Part'A'
Part'B' Thixotropic Silver Colored Paste
Straw Colored Liquid
Mix 100 Parts 'A' (By Weight) To 9 to 10 Parts 'B
Shelf Life (Unmixed) 6 months in unopened container
Pot Life (25 Grams, Room Temperature) >4 Hours
Thin Film Set Time (.001' @ 25° C) >12 Hours
Total % NV Solids 100%
Hegman Gage <100µ
Volume Resistivity (ref. ASTM D-257) <1.0 x 10-3-cm
Operating Temperature Range (Fully Cured) -55° C to +100° C Continuous
Intermittent at Higher Temperatures
Curing Schedule (Time At Temperature) 90% Cure Complete Cure
20° C* 24 hours 48 hours
65° C 120 minutes 160 minutes
75° C 40 minutes 60 minutes
100° C 15 minutes 25 minutes
140° C 5 minutes 7 minutes

At 90% cure, the assembly can generally be handled carefully without the danger of damaging the adhesive bond. Adhesive will continue to cure at room temperature after removal from the oven. Cure times above are intended as guidelines, and are dependent on the actual glue line being held at the given temperature.
* Curing at room temperature only is not recommended. Heat curing gives increased bond strength.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

For screening, a monfiliment polyester (157 to 200 mesh) or a stainless steel (165 to 325 mesh) screen is recommended, with emulsion thickness between .001" and .004". A polyurethane squeegee with a Shore "A" durometer between 60 and 70 is recommended.

In general, a more open screen with thicker emulsions will give a larger pad of adhesive for bonding devices. Care must be taken to not apply an excess of material, as the adhesive will flow under the device during placement and curing, and could cause a short. EP-600 should not be thinned with solvent if it is being used for component surface mount applications. It can be thinned with solvent for use in spray or coating processes.

Dot dispensing can be accomplished utilizing positive displacement or pneumatic actuated equipment. EP-600 exhibits quick break off after dispensing, and will not cause shorts from stringing in high speed automated production processes. In small volume production environments, EP-600 can be mixed and manually loaded into syringes for dispensing with hand held equipment.

The rheological properties of EP-600 allow for accurate and repeatable dot geometries over a four hour window. While the viscosity of the mixed material will change over four hours, most dot dispense equipment can easily compensate for the rheological changes to accurately maintain dot configuration. Although it is not generally recommended, some customers are able to use EP-600 for six hours after mixing.

PACKAGING

EP-600 is available in pre-weighed open containers, and pre-weighed, separated plastic pouches (A-Packs). There is no minimum purchase quantity with these packaging configurations, and we can provide open containers with any specified amount of material. We also offer EP-600 premixed, vacuum degasses and frozen in syringes. The amount of material contained in each syringe can be specified by the customer, so that the entire syringe is used up within four hours on the production line. This packaging option requires a minimum of 100 syringes per shipment. Shelf life of premixed and frozen material is 30 days when stored at -40° C.

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The above guidelines are intended to provide a starting point for evaluation. Conductive Compounds, Inc. recognizes that each customer's manufacturing process is unique, and we can customize the rheology of EP-600 to conform to the process parameters. We are also available to provide on-site technical assistance to resolve your processing issues. Call us to discuss your application in more detail.

NOTE: Although the above properties are accurate to the best of our knowledge, Conductive Compounds, Inc. makes no guarantees for customer specification established in applications where this product is used. Customer assumes responsibility for determining fitness of use in their particular application.