Paws for thought – bonding a canine tracking device

After discovering that a planned design using cyanoacrylate adhesive couldn’t do the job in hand, the designers of a canine tracker followed up on all leads and collared a meeting with Advanced Adhesives.

PitPat is a small and unobtrusive tracking device and activity monitor developed specifically for dogs. Unsurprisingly, the design brief called for the secure joining of the components; but it was also vital to ensure that the complete unit remained completely waterproof for the lifespan of the device, given the predilection for water that so many of our canine friends possess.

So the gap filling properties of the adhesive were critical to the design, and it was at this point that the manufacturer’s trials with cyanoacrylate adhesives came to an end and Advanced Adhesives was contacted. The manufacturer hoped to gain help with the joint design and a suitable adhesive solution. Advanced Adhesives indicated that the gap between the two components was too large for a cyanoacrylate to fill, which didn’t therefore give sufficient bond strength, but also didn’t seal the components. The cyanoacrylate material simply wasn’t suitable for gap filling.

With the device being constructed with an ABS shell that houses the electronics, Advanced Adhesives recommended trials with its 3288 two-part MMA adhesive. The 3288 adhesive offered a combination of high bond strength, high shear strength, good durability and excellent gap filling capabilities. Developing the application in-house at its Newcastle R&D centre, Advanced Adhesives discovered that a bead of just 0.3mm in diameter, weighing just 0.2 grammes, provided both the bond and the necessary gap filling in one operation.

Rigorous proving trials were then conducted using the Advanced Adhesives climatic chamber, part of its extensive testing facilities, where a ten-year service life that included regular immersion in both fresh and salt water was replicated, with 100% successful results.

Commenting on this success for Advanced Adhesives, technical director Graham Crozier recalls: “This was an interesting application for us, not least because the market for such canine devices is burgeoning. When we were approached, we offered two things to the PitPat team: a solution that worked and an in-house testing facility that proved the adhesive achieved what was required, over an extended service life using real-world conditions.”