Assist™Senior ChemistWhy customers ask for a Norland alternative
Norland Optical Adhesives are specified by grade number in countless optical assembly procedures — lens stacks, prisms, fiber terminations, display and sensor bonding. That ubiquity is exactly why optics manufacturers come to Incure: a validated optical process hanging on one supplier's grade is a continuity risk, and volume pricing on specialty optical adhesives leaves room for a qualified second source. Optical migrations are performance-sensitive — refractive index, transmission, shrinkage-induced stress and outgassing all matter — so the evaluation below is deliberately conservative and test-driven.
Application mapping to Optik™ (Incure database values)
| If your NOA grade is used for… | Incure candidate | Key database properties |
|---|---|---|
| Lens and prism bonding (index-matched, stress-sensitive) | Optik™ 7648 | Index-matched, low outgassing, stress-free; 11,000–22,000 cP; −55 to 80 °C |
| Glass-to-glass fusion with index matching | Optik™ 1702 | Index-match glass fusion, active-align focal control, high transmission; 350–700 cP |
| Precision alignment / camera module assembly | Optik™ 7872 / 7872T | Nano alignment, high transmission, low outgassing; 500–1,000 cP (7872) or 5,600–11,200 cP thixotropic (7872T) |
| General optical bonding, rigid joints | Optik™ 7232 / 7223 / 7254 | Rapid UV cure, tack-free finish, high-modulus rigidity; 250–500 cP (7232), 1,200–2,400 cP (7223/7254); −55 to 125 °C |
| Thermal-cycling-exposed optical joints | Optik™ 1722S | Superior peel resistance, excellent surface wetting, advanced thermal cycling; 350–700 cP |
| Gap filling / fixture bonding in optical assemblies | Optik™ 7208 | High thixotropic paste, 42,000–84,000 cP, high chemical resistance |
| Structural glass-to-metal in optical housings | Uni-Weld™ 1910 | 30–60 cP, crystal-clear, high shear strength, −55 to 150 °C |
What an optical qualification adds
Beyond the standard qualification protocol (bond strength, ageing, thermal cycling), optical migrations verify refractive index against your design, spectral transmission over the service band, cure-shrinkage stress (birefringence where relevant), outgassing for sealed or vacuum assemblies, and yellowing under accelerated ageing. Incure supplies the candidate's measured optical data with the comparison report, and states plainly where a property differs from the incumbent's published value.
How the evaluation works
The seven-step conversion process applies: submit the NOA grade number, substrates and optical requirements (index, band, stress sensitivity), receive the closest Optik™ candidates with database values and budgetary pricing, evaluate with samples on witness parts, and qualify on your own measured evidence. Incumbent values come from Norland's current published data — never estimated.
Request a Norland-to-Incure evaluation How the programme works
Incure figures are database values for the referenced Incure grades (viscosity in cP, temperature in °C); they are not measurements of, or claims about, any Norland Products, Inc. product. Optical performance on your design must be established by qualification testing; candidate suitability is always subject to application validation.