Cure Temperature

There are 4 common choices, with variations:

Which is best? It depends. Post-cures are very often required for room-temperature laminating resins, in order to develop full strength in a reasonable time. Often, but not always, the prepregs cured at higher temperatures are stronger than room temperature cured materials. However, high curing temperatures can induce problems:

• Steam creation in laminates and over cores (Blown skins; Excessive porosity in bondlines)
• Uneven heating problems
• Overheating/fire risks
• Increased documentation, often with expensive equipment
• More training required

Often the applicable repair manuals will offer a choice, especially with smaller repairs. In this situation, go with the lowest-temperature repair allowed by the manual or guidelines. It will offer an easier repair with less ways for things to go wrong. If there is no choice, then it is imperative to do exactly what is proscribed in the manual or guidelines.

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