Structural adhesives go on the record

A Huntsman Advanced Materials product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 3, 2006

Structural adhesive products have been designed specifically to increase yield on production and climate resistance of DVD, HD-DVD, Blu Ray and DVD-R DL discs.

To support DVD manufacturers involved in the development and manufacture of future DVD technologies, including Blu Ray and DVD-R DL (dual layer), Huntsman Advanced Materials has developed several new Araldite adhesive-based solutions.

Developed in tandem with some of the world's key DVD line integrators, Huntsman's latest structural adhesive products have been designed specifically to increase yield on production and climate resistance of DVD, HD-DVD, Blu Ray and DVD-R DL discs.

Capable of holding and playing back five times more data than a conventional DVD, Blu Ray discs can store over nine hours of high-definition video and audio content plus a wealth of photographic and digital information.

Because of the increased amount of information Blu Ray discs can hold, the need for improved disc durability is paramount.

Drawing on in-depth knowledge of the equipment and processes involved in DVD manufacturing, Huntsman has produced a high-quality scratch resistant spin and hard coat combination that provides very low jitter values and low radial deviation after climate testing.

Huntsman's XD 4816 hard coat forms the top surface layer of Blu Ray discs, and the company's unique XD 4817 spin coat produces a tight-tolerance layer across the disc's surface.

Both products feature easy to process viscosities and high performance optical properties that enable the transmission of 98% for optimum reading and writing of data during playing and recording.

To ensure long term performance, discs made using Araldite adhesives are tested in a climate controlled chamber to assess the affects of heat and humidity.

The test lasts for 100 hours and analyses behaviour of disc layers and exposure to extensive prolonged heat and moisture.

Both the XD 4816 hard coat and XD 4817 spin coat perform exceptionally, providing a moisture barrier for the duration of the test (80C/85%/100h).

The Huntsman Advanced Materials' team has also developed a bonding technology formulated specifically for DVD-R DL discs.

Like the new Blu Ray process adhesives, XD 8009 is an innovative material that supports the production of high quality, technologically advanced DVD-R DL discs, giving maximum climate ageing resistance and prolonged reflectivity in combination with inverse stack bonding.

Marc de Heer, Global DVD Market Manager at Huntsman Advanced Materials said: "The Araldite adhesive team at Huntsman originally helped pioneer the use of structural adhesives in the DVD market.

With long-term industry experience, our team continues to play a vital part in the development of upcoming DVD technologies.

As the DVD industry has evolved, so have our products.

Our team thrives on innovation and we pride ourselves on our continued collaboration with line integrators and replicators to formulate new adhesive and coating solutions.