Advanced Cyanoacrylates Help Manufacturers Meet Sustainability & ESG Reporting and Labeling Requirem
As government agencies across the globe try to de-risk manufacturing by removing chemical hazards from the supply chain, the chemical industry is having to innovate.
Many commercial photoinitiating (PI) substances used in light curing cyanoacrylate formulations are classified as Sensitizing and/or CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Reproductive Toxin). Formulations that contain these substances above a specified threshold are also classified and require hazard statements and pictograms on their Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and labels to provide guidance to the user on the risks associated with using these products. A widely commercialized photoinitiator, TPO, is expected to have a harmonized classification update to Reproductive Category 1B in the summer of 2023. In fact, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently announced an intention to identify TPO as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC). It is expected that this will occur later this year. While this is an EU regulation, the impact is much wider — customers internationally across Asia and AMAS will also likely restrict or ban the use of SVHC in their products.
Bostik’s Bond2Bond™ Light Lock range of adhesives, for instance, are not classified as hazardous in either the European Union or the United States. They were designed using an innovative photoinitiator in anticipation of such changes and will comply with the regulatory changes about to be introduced.
Bostik reports that these adhesives enable manufacturers to use cyanoacrylates in product applications such as consumer electronics, and in products that will be subject to harsh environmental conditions. These advanced cyanoacrylates will ensure that manufacturers can meet their current and future sustainability and ESG reporting needs, and comply with future labeling requirements.
On fast-running production lines, cyanoacrylate adhesives are often rapidly cured using UV light. This is because excess adhesive outside of bonded joints can either spoil the look or function of the end products or cause production issues, or both. Dust sticks to the wet adhesive, and the excess can cause electronics to fail; or it unintentionally bonds components to other parts, machinery, or an operator's hands during production. UV light, however, is hazardous to workers and energy-intense for manufacturers to use.
According to Bostik, the photoinitiator, when added to cyanoacrylates, enables curing of the adhesive in just a few seconds when exposed to UV visible blue light (405-420 nm) and is safer for workers. Blue light only requires 16 milliwatts of power per square centimeter, which is one-tenth of the power needed for standard UV radiation and means LED lights can replace old mercury bulbs. LEDs emitting visible light are also far more energy efficient than the standard UV systems typically used today.
Source: Bostik/Adhesives Magazine