The drying time of the curing agent depends on many factors, including ambient temperature, humidity, coating thickness, and the proportion of the curing agent.
Ambient temperature and humidity: At room temperature of around 20 degrees, epoxy resin paint usually takes seven or eight hours to fully cure, but it takes 15 days to fully achieve practical performance. At higher temperatures, the curing time can be shortened to within 30 minutes, but it still takes 15 days to achieve practical performance. In an environment with higher temperature and lower humidity, the paint will dry relatively quickly, usually taking 24 hours.
Curing agent ratio: The addition ratio of the curing agent will also affect the drying time. For example, at room temperature of 25°C, when the curing agent addition ratio is 2%, the operation time is 30-40 minutes and the curing time is 3-4 hours. When the curing agent ratio increases by 1%, the operation time is shortened by about 10 minutes and the curing time is shortened by about 30 minutes; on the contrary, when the curing agent ratio decreases by 1%, the operation time increases by about 10 minutes and the curing time increases by about 30 minutes.
Seasonal variation: In winter, using a quick-drying hardener without heat takes about three hours; with heat, it takes about two hours. In summer, using a standard hardener, it takes an hour and a half without heat; with heat, it takes about forty minutes.
