Everwide Newsletter No.235

We often come into contact with nameplates in our daily lives, such as trademarks on home appliances, totems on car hoods, badges on clothes, etc. All are infused with a layer of resin on top of a patterned metal sheet. Figure 1 shows the decoration of the Taipei easy card, which is filled with resin to create a three-dimensional texture. Commonly used resins for infusion of Ming plate include PU (polyurethane) and Epoxy (epoxy resin). The former has better tolerance and is not easy to turn yellow, and the latter is cheaper and almost non-toxic during processing. No matter which kind of resin, it needs to be mixed with AB. After mixing, there will be natural defoaming, curing reaction at room temperature, and the cured product has good transparency and smooth surface without ripples. No matter which kind of resin, it needs to be mixed with AB. After mixing, there will be natural defoaming, curing reaction at room temperature, and the cured product has good transparency and smooth surface without ripples. The curing agent of the epoxy resin is an amine system, and the color is slightly yellowish. Sometimes it is necessary to adjust the A light blue to cover up the light color difference after AB mixing. Another problem with epoxy resins is that small ripples often occur on the surface of the cured product (Figure 2). This phenomenon is affected by a small amount of moisture in the air. If we add a catalyst to increase the reaction speed, heat, and cure at a higher temperature or standstill in an environment insulated from moisture, we can get a fairly flat surface. However, sometimes these conditions are unavailable, and this is a troublesome place.

—Author: Miss, Su-Huan, Li

The Small and Medium Business Division of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the American business dengbaishi used the export data of SMEs to quantify the business performance of enterprises and selected 1,000 SMEs for the Elite Award. Everwide Chemical is honored to receive this award, which is the result of the efforts of all employees. We also thank our customers, distribution partners, and good friends for their support. Small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for 97.8% of Taiwanese entrepreneurs, and the number of employed persons accounted for 77% of the total number of employed persons. This shows the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Germany once proposed the concept of Hidden champions. Small and medium-sized enterprises produce unique products, which are very important supports for the entire German industry. This idea gave us a lot of inspiration. We began to think about what problem we solved? What have we learned? With thinking as a starting point, we must create new models and continue to make progress.

To get a good adhesion effect, we must first understand the principle of adhesion. There are three main theories explaining the adhesion of adhesive to the adherend. The first is to explore the equilibrium theory of the wetting phenomenon. The second is the molecular theory of calculating adhesive force from the background of relative potential energy. The third is to discuss the adhesion speed theory from rheology and surface conditions.1. Balance theory: The most shallow application is the consideration of surface tension. The surface tension of the resin must be lowered to effectively wet the surface of the substrate and meet the basic requirements for good adhesion. Adhesives with excessive surface tension cannot wet the substrate and cannot penetrate the microstructure of the substrate surface, so the best adhesion effect cannot be achieved.2. Molecular Theory: Choosing an appropriate functional group to make the adhesive molecule and the substrate molecule have a stronger force to obtain a larger intermolecular binding energy is the second of the basic requirements for good bonding.3. Adhesion speed theory: Even if the surface tension of the resin can wet the substrate, there is a strong force between the adhesive molecules and the substrate, but the resin expands and penetrates on the surface too slowly, and still cannot exert its maximum strength. Therefore, the suitable viscosity and shake degree in the resin system are the three basic requirements for good adhesion.

The times are advancing, and factories are also advancing. From industry 1.0 and 2.0 in the past to the industry 4.0 that is now being promoted, it has transformed into an automated smart factory with software as the core and a perfect combination of actual factories. This time I have the opportunity to visit the K2016 International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition together with the Plastics Center. The day before the opening, I will first visit Bond-Laminates Fiber Composites Company, which specializes in thermoplastic composite materials. The company and major equipment manufacturers jointly developed a carbon fiber and plastic injection molding and coating machine. After seeing a machine and an operator, the finished product can be manufactured in less than a few minutes, and even a small QR code label can be attached. I was surprised by the progress of the German production line. In this K2016 exhibition, in response to the trend of the Industry 4.0 era, the plastics industry also needs to keep up with the 4.0 trend. Now plastic equipment manufacturers also provide Internet of Things services. They can use smart machines to produce together in a short time. Customers can also inquire about product information at any time. Because the product life cycle is shortened and the labor force is reduced, efficient production can be achieved. With the theme of lightweight, environmental protection, and recyclability, K2016 saw many equipment vendors and raw material vendors jointly develop and innovate. For a better life for mankind in the future, kindly treat the land under our feet and create a sustainable energy world. Everwide will also move towards this goal.

—Author: Mr. Kai-Quan, Kai