Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV is the latest innovation from Henkel that’s bringing speed, efficiency, and sustainability to the assembly of high-resolution advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) cameras and lidar modules. Henkel’s new active alignment adhesive can be cured in a single step with just three seconds of UV LED light exposure, circumventing the need for oven curing to save time, energy, and CO₂ emissions.
Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV adhesive is in line with Henkel’s commitment to developing safer and more sustainable solutions. It’ss free of CMT, SVHC, or any toxic substances and fully EU REACH-compliant.
“As consumers expect ever more sophisticated assistance systems and increasingly depend on cameras and sensors in the context of autonomous driving, the performance and reliability of these components have become critical to road users’ safety and comfort,” explains Rodrigo Aguilar, ADAS business development manager at Henkel. “As a partner to the automotive industry, Henkel is expanding its range of dedicated adhesives for ADAS sensor assembly – providing innovative one-step curing that can meet the performance of preceding generations of adhesives.”
Aguilar adds: “By enabling active alignment of ADAS sensors to within 100-nanometer accuracy, we are delivering the precision and high sensor reliability needed for vital safety functions.”
Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV reaches its full performance and final bond strength with seconds of UV LED irradiation during the fixing step. Additional time and energy-intensive post-curing by oven is not required. By avoiding the high capital expenditure of heat cure ovens and the associated operating and maintenance costs, as well as manufacturing space demands, this simpler process also makes a compelling commercial case.
By reaching excellent performance after only few seconds of UV LED cure Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV one-step cure adhesive meets all requirements for high resolution cameras for automotive applications, while matching its dual-cure predecessors. With low and consistent dimensional change of 0.4% during cure, this new adhesive is a reliable candidate for high resolution camera modules for automotive as no change in focus from an excessive shrinkage is to be expected.
To best meet the requirements for automotive grade for camera module adhesives, Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV shows high reliability and dimensional stability, with no outgassing from volatile compounds. This ensures high image quality and no fogging on the optical system. This adhesive is also free of CMT, SVHC, or any toxic substances and fully EU REACH-compliant.
Additionally, the innovative actively curing one-step adhesive Loctite Ablestik NCA 01UV facilitates manufacturers’ contribution to greater sustainability while enabling higher overall production efficiency. Eliminating the oven curing significantly decreases the duration of the entire active alignment process. This results in a more sustainable process that reduces the CO₂ footprint of assembly compared to a regular active alignment process.
The annual energy consumption of a medium-sized oven curing an adhesive at 80° C for 70 minutes is equivalent to nearly 2.5 tons of CO₂. For this amount of carbon, about 42 tree seedlings would have to grow for 10 years. However, the long-term cumulative effect of eliminating the curing step in a typical production site with multiple ovens will result in a significant positive contribution to sustainability.
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