Curing is necessary to return the applied polymer to a stable state. The length of time required to properly cure a substrate is called the cure cycle. The cure cycle is dependent on many variables including:

• Resin Chemistry
• Catalyst Reactivity
• Cure Temperature
• Presence of Inhibitors/Accelerators in the Coating Material

The total heat generation to complete a curing reaction (100% degree of cure) can be expressed:

where:H_r = heat of reaction

= rate of heat generation in a dynamic test
where: t_f = time required to complete the reaction

The amount of heat released at a time, t, can be written as:

where: H = amount of heat released in time t.

= rate of heat generation in an isothermal test conducted at time t.

The degree of cure or cure rate is the percentage of the cure cycle completed. The equation for degree of cure can be written at any time, t, as:

where:a_c = degree of cure