Field report: Blufixx UV adhesive for automotive applications

Blufixx Gel "BLUE LIGHT REPAIR" is a new and innovative repair gel that cures completely under UV light in 3-10 seconds. Due to the bluish UV light, the adhesive was also given the name "Blue Light Adhesive". It is based on the same technique used in dentistry. This technique was further developed and the result was a repair pin for various materials. It was also successfully presented in this form at the TV show Cave of the Lions. We have taken a closer look at this special repair pin for you and tested it to see to what extent it can also be used in the automotive sector.

What is the Blufixx repair pen?

The Blufixx repair pin consists of two components:

• a cartridge with 5 gram repair gel, which is also available separately
• the actual repair pin that holds the cartridge

The upper end of the repair pin contains a UV LED which is required for curing the UV gel. Everything you need to get started right away is included. UV light adhesive can be used for filling, supplementing, modelling and bonding, among other things.

The Blufixx is very easy to use, as only the UV gel needs to be applied to the area to be repaired. The blue light adhesive remains liquid until UV radiation, so that the parts can still be moved into the correct position after application. Even excess gel can be easily wiped away.

If everything is in the desired place, the UV light is held at a short distance above it. Within a very short time, the UV gel hardens as hard as stone. The special feature of Blufixx adhesives is that they can be sanded, drilled, polished or painted immediately after curing. With this property, it differs significantly from alternative adhesives.

What other properties does Blufixx UV-Gel have?

The blue light adhesive is available in two versions. These are each tailored to different materials. First, there is the variant "PW", which can be used for the following materials:

1. Plastic such as ABS, PS, SAN, ASA, SB, PVC, CN, CAB, PC, melamine resins and GRP polyester. (Not suitable for PP, PE, PTFE, POM, PMMA)
2. Wood materials

The second version "MGS" however is suitable for the following materials:

1. Metals and metal alloys such as aluminum, steel, brass, stainless steel, galvanized materials, copper, iron
2. glass and crystal glass
3. Stone and porcelain, ceramics, marble, earthenware

Both versions of Blufixx are available in 6 different colours:

• clear
• white/li>
• light brown
• red brown
• dark brown
• black

The UV gel is solvent-free, water-resistant and can be used in a temperature range of -40°C to +140°C. The blue light adhesive is extremely stable and only breaks at a load of more than 53kg / cm². Once the Blufixx repair stick has been opened, the adhesive cartridge should be used up within 5 years. The UV-LED, on the other hand, lasts for up to 1h continuous operation. This is the equivalent of approx. 100 applications.

How can the Blufixx repair pin be used in the automotive industry?

Blufixx can be used in a wide variety of applications. Besides household or garden, we also see many possible applications in the automotive sector. For minor repairs to upgrade the vehicle or repair damaged wear parts, the repair pin is ideal. Depending on which version is used, Blufixx can, among other things, seal minor paint damage or reattach broken mounts. Whether plastic parts in the interior are damaged or the bodywork has been damaged, the adhesive with UV light quickly puts everything back in order. In order to demonstrate the performance of the Blufixx UV gel, a damaged bracket was attached to a front headlight in an uncomplicated and stable manner. The Blufixx "PW - Plastic & Wood" version in the colour "clear" was used to repair the plastic housing. The bracket on the headlamp had broken off smoothly and should therefore be easy to reattach.

First UV gel was applied thinly to the surface to be bonded, then the components were brought together.

After everything was in the right position, the UV light was used.

This created a solid connection after just 3-10 seconds. In order to achieve an even more stable bond, the bond was additionally reinforced with two further thin layers of Blufixx UV gel.

The headlamp could then be re-installed directly without having to take additional drying and/or curing times into account. Therefore the successful repair can be summarized as fast, simple and uncomplicated. This repair is already several weeks ago and the headlight holder continues to function without restrictions.

Blufixx compared to other adhesives

The Blufixx is suitable for various repairs, as can be seen in the example above. But what does the blue light adhesive look like compared to other types of adhesive? To assess this, we have compared the respective advantages and disadvantages of 3 alternatives and the Blufixx in the table below.

Compared to the other adhesives, the Blufixx repair pen already combines many positive qualities of the others. Even if it is a little more expensive to buy for the first time, it is not necessary to change the whole blue light glue every time. A new cartridge and sometime new batteries for the UV-LED make the repair pin quickly and cheaply ready for use again. Due to its wide range of applications, also in the automotive sector, we have decided to include the Blufixx in our product range. Let us convince you of its quality. We wish you a lot of fun while trying it out.