With this system, a drop of adhesive is used to form a bridge between the component or wire, and the substrate. Exposure to UV light quickly cures it, and holds the component in place. Useful applications for NEA 123R include wire tacking, chip capacitor bonding, coil termination,bonding of head gimbal assemblies and tamper proofing adjustable components. The unique advantage of this adhesive is that even though it cures in seconds, it is extremely stable when not exposed to ultraviolet light. Norland 123R is sensitive to the whole range of UV light from 320 to 380 nanometers with peak sensitivity around 365 nanometers.
Cure time is dependent on light intensity and thickness of adhesive layer.
The adhesive has been designed to be spot cured in small areas with handheld or desk top UV light sources that are safe and easy to use. These are most commonly used in conveyorized applications because the light must be shielded from the operator. These types of lights are available from companies such as American Ultraviolet or Fusion UV Curing Systems. In addition to the UV cure, Norland 123R contains a latent heat catalyst that can quickly cure areas that do not see the ultraviolet light. The advantage of the heat cure is to bring partially cured adhesive to full cure to get the maximum physical properties of the adhesive.