Cyanoacrylate adhesive - accidental bond with the skin

Bond between the cyanoacrylate adhesive and the skin is created very quickly, so there is no point in rushing to pull skin apart "before it bonds". Just remain calm and take your time. 

Cyanoacrylate adhesives are rapid curing, strong bonding agents that will bond human tissue and skin in seconds. Experience has shown that accidents due to cyanoacrylates are handled best by passive, non-surgical first aid. Cyanoacrylates work best with tension. Pulling bonded materials apart (fingers included) will strengthen the bond. Cyanoacrylates have the lowest strength in a peel mode. 

Debonders also release the cured adhesive. Contact us for more details on de-bonders.

Treatment of specific types of accidents are given below:

With the Skin: Immerse bonded areas in warm soapy water. Peel or roll skin apart. Peel the skin apart with a spatula, teaspoon handle or a pencil by pushing it between the bonded areas. Remove cured adhesive with warm, soapy water. This may take several applications. Acetone or a Debonder is also effective in removing cured cyanoacrylate off of skin. 

With the eyelid: If the eyelids are stuck together or bonded to the eyeball wash them thoroughly with warm water and apply a gauze patch. The eye will open without further action within 1-4 days. There will be no residual damage. Do not try to force eyes open. 

With the Eyeball: Cyanoacrylates adhesives will attach itself to the eye protein and will disassociate from it over time, usually within several hours. This will cause periods of weeping and double vision until cured adhesive is cleared. 

With the mouth: If lips are accidentally stuck together, apply copious amounts of warm water and encourage maximum wetting and pressure from saliva inside the mouth. Peel or roll, (do not pull) lips apart. It is almost impossible to swallow cyanoacrylate. The adhesive solidifies upon contact with saliva (moisture) and could adhere to the inside of the mouth. Saliva will lift the adhesive in 1-2 days, avoid swallowing the adhesive after detachment.

Cyanoacrylates give off heat, exothermic reaction, when curing. In rare cases a large quantity can cause a burn. Burns should be treated normally after the cured adhesive is removed from the skin as described above. It should never be necessary to surgically remove cyanoacrylates or to separate bonded skin.

Choosing a Medical Device Adhesive

Medical device adhesives are ‘adhesives that are marketed to medical device manufacturers’. Unlike food grade adhesives, medical device adhesives contain no special approval from the FDA. Often, bio-compatibility testing is performed on the adhesive as a marketing tool to increase the buyer’s trust in the product. Types of bio-compatibility testing include cyto-toxicity, USP Class VI, and IS010993. Even then, the assessment does not replace the testing required of the device manufacturer by the FDA. Device manufacturers are required to prove that the device they manufacture is bio-compatible and effective.

The logical path is:
• Adhesives are tested for bio-compatibility after they are cured;
• Lack of proper curing can affect bio-compatibility;
• Curing occurs within the device manufacturer’s assembly process.

Therefore:
• Bio-compatibility can only be determined on the finished medical device.

Generally, the term ‘medical device adhesives’ refers to those adhesives used on medical devices that come into contact with the body, body fluids or delivery systems. As such, the adhesives are designed to bond the plastics and other materials common to the industry. So a UV curable adhesive used to bond an oxygen mask together is likely considered a medical device adhesive. But the epoxy, threadlockers and, structural acrylics used in the manufacture of an x-ray machine are not considered medical device adhesive. However, if you use the same epoxy used in the x-ray machine to bond a needle into the hub of a hypodermic needle…well, now there is a medical device adhesive!

So, choose the adhesive that meets your requirements, regardless of whether it is termed a medical device adhesive or not.

Adhesive Applications on Filter Assembly

Adhesive applications on filters are as diverse as the materials they filter. Here we have selected a few common applications:

Automotive Filters

> Seam Sealing
> Bonding Rubber Gaskets
> Bonding Filter Assembly to End Plates

Process Filters

> Sealing

AUTOMOTIVE FILTERS
Seam Sealing: Rolled seams are found in oil filters, fuel filers, and air filters. They are formed by cold rolling the edges of two metal flanges like the lid of a tin can. Generally the "can" is rotated while a stationary set of rollers moves in to crimp the can closed.

Anaerobic adhesives / sealants are prefered since they are more environmentally friendly, non flammable, 100% solids and lend themselves to automation. Anaerobics cure in the absence of oxygen and the presence of metal at room temperature.

Bonding Rubber Gaskets: Rubber gaskets are found on the base plates of most filters. Choosing an adhesive to attach these gaskets is largely dependent on the temperature and chemical resistance required of the filter. Both cyanoacrylates and epoxies are commonly used.

In automotive filters, cyanoacrylate adhesives are generally used to bond the gasket to the outside of the base plate as they resist upwards of the 200F requirement, and are oil and gasoline resistant. This gasket helps to properly seat the oil filter when it is installed on the engine.

Bonding Filter Assembly to End Plates: Single part epoxies are prefered to bond the filter assembly. This is because they offer a simpler process which does not damage the media as welding can and also provides additional assurance of seal because the epoxy is used as a potting compound and a bonding agent.

PROCESS FILTERS
Sealing: Process industry filters made of metal housing and metal mesh media can be welded or sealed with an anaerobic or epoxy depending on the end use requirements.

Again the temperature and resistance requirements dictate the type of adhesive used but generally ultraviolet & visible light curable adhesives exceed the bond strength of epoxies on plastics and exceed the fluid resistance of cyanoacrylates.