Efficient and Reliable Silicone-to-Metal Heat Cure Bonding Solution: LORD Chemlok 608 Adhesive

In industries such as automotive manufacturing, electronics, electrical appliances, industrial machinery, and aerospace, silicone rubber is widely used due to its excellent high/low temperature resistance, electrical insulation, and weather ability. However, firmly bonding unvulcanized silicone elastomers to metal or other rigid substrates has always been a key technical challenge in molding and vulcanization processes. To meet this demand, LORD Corporation has introduced Chemlok 608, a one-coat adhesive that provides a proven and efficient solution for strong silicone-to-metal bonding.

Chemlok 608 is a one-coat adhesive specifically designed for heat-cure bonding of unvulcanized silicone elastomers to various rigid substrates (such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, etc.). It works excellently not only with standard silicone compounds but also with a wide variety of commercially available silicone compounds that require a post cure (such as Dow Corning and GE Silicones series). In typical tests, the product achieves "Rubber Failure," meaning the bond strength is higher than the cohesive strength of the silicone itself, ensuring extremely high reliabilit

Key Advantages and Features:

• Versatile Application: Its one-coat, one-component design eliminates the need for a primer, simplifying the application process and helping reduce labor time, inventory, and shipping costs

• Broad Compatibility: Offers excellent adhesion to a wide variety of silicone compounds, making it highly adaptable to different formulations

• Strong Environmental Resistance: The cured bond resists many aggressive service environments. Laboratory results show that even after immersion in 149°C transmission fluid/ASTM oil for hundreds of hours, oven aging at 246°C, or boiling water exposure, the adhesive retains 100% adhesion (resulting in rubber failure)

• Cost-Effective: Can typically be diluted 100% to 500% by volume (1 part adhesive to 5-10 parts solvent, preferably methanol) using dry alcohol solvents, significantly reducing cost per application while ensuring robust bonding.

Typical Application Areas (supplemented based on real industrial scenarios):

• Automotive Industry: Used for bonding silicone seals to metal housings in engine systems, molding silicone sensor boots onto metal inserts, and fabricating anti-vibration pads

• Electronics & Electrical: Applied in power connectors and wire harness seals to bond silicone to metal terminals during vulcanization, ensuring long-term insulation and sealing stability

• Industrial Equipment: Used for bonding silicone to metal substrates in chemically resistant, high/low-temperature buffer components, and roller coverings.

Brief Application Notes:

Proper surface preparation of the metal substrate (e.g., solvent degreasing, phosphating, or grit blasting—using aluminum oxide for non-ferrous metals) is essential for optimal bonding. After applying Chemlok 608, allow it to air dry for 10-30 minutes at room temperature, or force dry for 5-15 minutes at 65-93°C (best results with maximum airflow at the lower temperature). Ideally, bonded parts should be molded the same day; if storage is necessary, avoid contamination and high humidity, and do not exceed 3 days of storage. The vulcanization process should simply follow the press-cure and post-cure recommendations of the silicone elastomer manufacturer.

With its consistent quality, broad compatibility, and excellent environmental resistance, LORD Chemlok 608 continues to provide trusted silicone-to-metal bonding solutions for manufacturing industries worldwide.