"Curing" of Sealants

[HondaMan]

I've heard the word "curing" in regards to allowing sealants to bond to a paint surface, in reference to waiting 24 hours.

What exactly does this refer to? If the surface of the sealant is "dried" then why do we have to wait 24 hours or however long for the "bottom" part of the sealant layer to bond to the paint/clearcoat?

Do the manufacturers actually test to see how long it takes both the top and bottom of a layer to completely cure/dry before another layer is on? Or is this just all guestimating?

 

[ACE]

As I understand it, it takes some time for the polymers to crosslink, meaning they are fully bonded to each other and, I assume, the paint surface. I've heard that it actually takes days, but I have no evidence to support it. In any case, I prefer to wait about a week before applying additional coats just to make sure the sealants are fully cured, crosslinked, bonded or whatever and you certainly should not attempt multiple coats of anything, including carnuba wax, in under 24 hours or you'll just remove what's on there. Griot suggests putting on a coat of their Best in Show wax, letting it dry for 2 hours and then applying another coat and then removing it after it dries. If you've ever tried to remove Best in Show, i'm sure you're hysterical laughing by now. Anybody got any TNT?

 

[brwill2004]

Hi-Temp's website says that their sealant air cures in 36 hours. It also states to not detergent wash during that period.