3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesive Film AF 163-2 OST Version
Harmonization Code : 3506.91.90.99 | Prepared glues and other prepared adhesives, not elsewhere specified or included; products suitable for use as glues or adhesives, put up for retail sale as glues or adhesives, not exceeding a net weight of 1 kg ; Adhesives based on polymers of headings 3901 to 3913 or on rubber; Other ; Other
Main features
- High Structural Bond Strength
- High Fracture Toughness and Peel Strength
- Low-Pressure and Vacuum Curing
Product Description
3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesive Film AF 163-2 is a family of thermosetting, modified epoxy structural adhesives supplied in film form with multiple weights and carrier options. Designed for solid-panel and honeycomb sandwich construction, the adhesive combines high bond strength across temperatures from -67°F to 250°F with high fracture toughness, peel strength, and resistance to high-moisture environments before and after cure. It supports low-pressure and vacuum curing and is X-ray opaque for use with X-ray nondestructive inspection methods.
Key Features
- Wide-temperature bond performance: Provides high bond strength from -67°F to 250°F.
- High toughness and peel strength: Formulated for structural assemblies requiring resistance to fracture and peeling forces.
- Moisture-resistant performance: Maintains resistance to high-moisture environments before and after curing.
- Flexible processing: Supports low-pressure bonding, vacuum curing, and a 90-minute cure at 225°F.
- X-ray opaque: Enables inspection using X-ray nondestructive inspection methods.
Applications / Suitable for
- Solid-panel structural bonding
- Honeycomb sandwich construction
- Metal-to-metal structural bonding
- Metal-to-honeycomb structural assemblies
- Bonding aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, and epoxy fiber-reinforced plastic under documented preparation and cure conditions
TDS, SDS & Technical Documents
Technical Specifications
Thermal Properties
Electrical Properties
Additional Information
As-supplied / before-processing properties
Available film constructions, nominal weights, colors, thicknesses, and documented storage conditions. Available configurations vary by carrier type and product designation.
| Property | Value | Unit | Method / condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive type | Thermosetting modified epoxy structural adhesive film | — | As supplied |
| Nominal film weight | 0.015–0.100 | lb/ft² | Depends on AF 163-2 construction; nominal tolerance ±0.005 lb/ft² |
| Nominal thickness | 2.5–16 | mil | Depends on film weight and carrier construction |
| Available colors | Pink, yellow, red, blue, or green | — | Depends on product construction and film weight |
| Carrier options | Fiberglass scrim, knit, lightweight nonwoven, nonwoven, one-side-tacky nonwoven, or unsupported | — | G, K, L, M, OST, and U designations |
| Recommended cold-storage temperature | 0 or below | °F | Recommended for maximum storage life |
| Standard shelf life | 12 | months | Stored at 0°F or below |
| Out-of-cold-storage allowance | 20 | days | 80°F maximum without adversely affecting performance |
After-processing / final-state properties
Representative cured-film properties. Values are typical and depend on the selected film construction, substrate preparation, primer, cure cycle, pressure, heating rate, and test conditions.
| Property | Value | Unit | Method / condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate tensile strength | 11,000 at -67°F; 7,000 at 75°F; 3,000 at 180°F | psi | ASTM D638; unsupported free film, cured 60 minutes at 250°F |
| Tensile modulus | 2.3 × 105 at -67°F; 1.6 × 105 at 75°F; 6 × 104 at 180°F | psi | ASTM D638; unsupported free film, cured 60 minutes at 250°F |
| Glass-transition temperature, dry | 226 (108) | °F (°C) | DuPont 1090 DMA; 5°C/min ramp; cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
| Glass-transition temperature, wet | 180 (82) | °F (°C) | DuPont 1090 DMA; after 14 days in 70°C water; 5°C/min ramp; cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
| Thermal conductivity | 0.096 | BTU·ft/(ft²·hr·°F) | ASTM C177 at 43°C; cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion | 90 × 10-6 | in/in/°C | TMA at 5°C/min, -30°C to 50°C; cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
| Volume resistivity | 4.4 × 1014 | Ω·cm | ASTM D257; cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
| Dielectric strength | 1,800 | V/mil | ASTM D149; 1 kHz at 75°F (23°C); cured 90 minutes at 235°F |
