Are there any post cure requirements for West System 105 Epoxy Resin?

Post curing means exposing a composite part or mold to elevated temperatures in order to effect a full cure and improve the epoxy's physical properties, such as strength, toughness, or heat resistance. As the name implies, post curing is usually done after the epoxy has reached some level of initial cure at room temperature. Temperature control is one of the most important criteria for post curing, because failure to maintain a uniform target temperature can result in a laminate with excessive print-through and widely varying physical properties.

West System 105 Epoxy Resin is formulated to cure at room temperature, meaning that it reaches its full physical properties when fully cured, without requiring post curing. In essence, once the preliminary cure is complete, there's nothing more to do. As long as the resin and hardener components were measured correctly and mixed thoroughly, the initial result is quite tough enough.

Generally, most thermoset epoxies such as West System 105 will achieve a full cure at room temperature in about 7-10 days, and post curing is usually not required, and typically will have minimal effect on the physical properties and performance of cured resin. Having said that, West System's technical staff can answer questions about applying modest heat post-cure for the purposes of reducing the potential for fabric print-through and improving their epoxy's thermal performance.