How do I find the right threadlocker?
Areas of application for threadlockers
Threadlockers are frequently used in the maintenance and repair of machines and in production. If machines are subjected to vibrations or changing loads, the screw connections may fail. The screw loosens or even comes loose completely. This does not happen with the right threadlocker. WEICONLOCK has become an essential part of many industries, such as automotive, mechanical engineering and gear manufacturing.
What does anaerobic mean?
WEICONLOCK are anaerobic curing 1-component adhesives and sealants especially for metal joints. “Anaerobic” means that these adhesives require the exclusion of oxygen. The adhesive hardens as soon as it comes into contact with metal and is deprived of oxygen.
A distinction is made between active and passive metals and alloys. The surface properties of some metals reduce the curing speed. These passive metals, such as chromium, nickel or zinc, provide a lower number of free metal ions for the curing process and therefore make the bonding process more difficult. WEICONLOCK Activator F can be used as a support for all passive surfaces. It accelerates the curing process.
The four WEICONLOCK product categories
WEICONLOCK products can be categorised according to the following areas of application: locking of threads and stud bolts, sealing of threaded pipes and fittings, retaining cylindrical assemblies and flange sealing.
The products for locking threads and stud bolts are suitable for screws and nuts as well as stud bolts, while the pipe sealants are suitable for threaded connections, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. For shaft and hub connections, pulleys, bearings or cylindrical parts in slip, press and shrink-fit applications, it is best to use our products for retaining cylindrical assemblies. For flanges, cases and lids, our flange sealing/gasketing products are best suited.
The four WEICONLOCK categories are divided into different types, which differ in their names according to their numbers. Other differences are their viscosity (liquid to pasty), their colour, their strength (low to high) and whether they are easy or difficult to disassemble.
How do I find the right product?
To make sure that you find the right product, other questions are also important: when do I use a liquid threadlocker and when a pasty one? Which colour is the right one for me? What strength do I need? And is easy disassembly important? How do I find the right product for my application?
Our type selection chart is a great help in finding the right adhesive. The four categories can easily be identified by looking at the product label:
- Yellow: locking of threads and stud bolts
- Red: sealing of threaded pipes and fittings
- Blue: bonding ball bearings or gear rims (i.e. for extremely high loads)
- Green: for flanges, sealing of cases or large threads (these are types that are somewhat more flexible after curing; they absorb energy and shocks)
The first three to five columns of our chart are interesting for a general selection. For the specialists, the chart also lists details such as temperature and time, which greatly depend on the materials used.
Three important steps to finding the right threadlocker
1. Application
First of all, there is always the question of the application area – as described above. Then the thread size or gap has to be checked. The larger the gap, the thicker – more viscous – the product must be.
2. Strength
Should the threadlocker be easy to remove, e.g. as a transport lock when components have not yet been finished? Is a medium-strength product required, e.g. if maintenance is required at service intervals? Or does your application require a high-strength connection that can withstand heavy loads and high vibrations? Or a connection that serves as protection against tampering or theft, e.g. on solar systems?
3. Colour
In many manufacturing processes, the colours of the product are important in order to avoid confusion, for example in series production. Additionally, the colours are important for visual quality inspections after production. UV light can be used to check whether a threadlocker has actually been used.
Matthias also explains how to find the right threadlocker in WE explain.