Adhesives for Difficult-To-Bond Plastics
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Adhesives for Difficult-to-bond A GUIDE TO Plastics www.craftechind.com [email protected] info.craftechind.com/blog @CraftechIndNY (800) 833-5130 /company/craftech-industries www.craftechind.com www.craftechind.com 1 What makes these plastics so difficult to bond? Many modern plastics are formulated specifically Materials to be anti-corrosive in specific chemical and environmental Lexan » An amorphous polycarbonate polymer that conditions. As a result, these polymers also tend to be difficult offers a unique combination of stiffness, to chemically bond because of their low surface energies, hardness and toughness. It exhibits excellent weathering, creep, impact, optical, electrical low porosity, and non-polar or non-functional surfaces. and thermal properties. They feature no functional site or surface roughness onto which an adhesive can secure itself. In other words, they are extremely smooth and slippery, so there’s nothing for Nylon » A commonly used synthetic polymer because of the glue to grab onto. good mechanical properties, wear resistance and high melting point. Nylon is frequently used when a low cost, high mechanical strength, rigid and stable material is required. Objective Teflon (PTFE) » A synthetic fluoropolymer characterized by its Being able to effectively bond two surfaces together can excellent dielectric properties, high melting be useful in many situations. Yet, few adhesives offer consistently temperature, and non-reactivity. Teflon has one of the lowest coefficients of friction in the high bond strengths. In order to steer you towards the best adhesives world of plastics on the market, we’ve expanded our list of glues (and plastics!) since our last blog post on the subject. We tested the bonding capabilities of various glues that purport to Polyurethane » An elastomeric material of exceptional physical be compatible with some of the most difficult-to-bond polymers. We properties including toughness, flexibility, and resistance to abrasion and temperature. It tried sticking each sample of plastics (listed right) to itself and after a combines the toughness of metal with the 24-hour curing time we attempted to break the pieces apart to elasticity of rubber. determine which glues worked best. Read on for our results! Polypropylene » A thermoplastic polymer that is rugged and unusually resistant to many chemical solvents, bases and acids, making it useful in a wide variety of applications. (800) 833-5130 Polyethylene » A thermoplastic with high impact resistance, low density, and good toughness. This plastic is especially useful where moisture resistance and low cost are required. www.craftechind.com www.craftechind.com 2 BP Blue » A one-step cyanoacrylate solution engineered to bond with polymer strings, quickly, easily and permanently. It creates a molecular [bond which provides a stronger, more durable result. ] What is cyanoacrylate Our Results and how does it work? We were excited to try out this adhesive because the manufacturers boasted that their product was the solution to bonding hard-to-bond plastics. For our first attempt, we left TECH BOND the plastics untreated and didn’t roughen the surface with any Cyanoacrylate is more commonly kind of wire scrub or sandpaper. After twenty-four hours of referred to as superglue and hardens very quickly when trapped between curing, all of the plastics broke apart with ease. However, after two surfaces. The reaction is caused by the condensed water vapor on sanding, this adhesive bonded all of our samples perfectly. the surfaces, so humidity is a factor that may affect bonding capabilities. Even wedging a screwdriver into slight gaps between the Cyanoacrylate is ideal for a tight join pieces didn’t work! between two stationary parts and the bond seems to weaken if exposed repeatedly to temperature changes, so it is not ideal for outdoor or mechanical use. Plastics Bonding System » ® A two-part cyanoacrylate adhesive that sets in seconds and doesn’t require clamping. It’s quick, easy, and Loctite boasts its effectiveness on hard to bond plastics such as [Plexiglass™, polycarbonate, polystyrene, PVC, polyethylene and polypropylene. ] Our Results The Loctite Plastics Bonding System was the easiest LOCTITE glue to use. After priming and gluing the samples together, we let them cure for 24 hours then attempted to break the bond created. The plastic sounded like it (800) 833-5130 splintered as we broke the bonds, however we were not able to break apart the Lexan or Polyurethane samples. NB: This adhesive caused clouding and discoloration on our Lexan sample, indicating a chemical reaction. If appearance is a concern, make sure to always test any www.craftechind.com www.craftechind.com glue on a piece of scrap material. 3 Epoxy Plastic Bonder » ® An acrylic formula that is specially formulated to bond and repair plastic surfaces. The double syringe dispenses equal amounts of each component which produces a tough, rigid, [high strength bond in 20 to 25 minutes with a full cure in twenty-four hours. ] What is epoxy and Our Results how does it work? Our first try with this adhesive proved a failure because we missed Epoxy is also known as polyepoxide. It LOCTITE is basically a thermosetting polymer the crucial step of sanding the plastic with 220 grit sandpaper to created by a manual reaction of a resin and a hardener; where the resin roughen the surface. However, after sanding and re-gluing the is an epoxide and the hardener is a pieces, it became quite a challenge to break them apart. We only polyamine. Epoxy resin and epoxy hardener are mixed together to managed to break apart the polyurethane sample after wedging different ratios depending upon the needs of the user. The more the a screwdriver into a small space between the layered pieces and hardener is added, the more time it takes to set. Hardener makes the even then it was quite a bit of work to manage to break the bond. whole compound stronger. Epoxy is resistant to water and can even cure The other samples held together well, even though the epoxy underwater. wasn’t recommended for polyethylene, polypropylene, Teflon™ or other non-stick surfaces. PlasticWeld » A hand-mixable, fast-setting epoxy putty that forms a durable bond to most major plastic types. It has a 20-25 minute work life with a functional cure in 2-3 hours. It is not [recommended for polyethylene, polypropylene or some other plastics. ] J-B WELD Our Results This adhesrive also called for roughening the surface with sandpaper to give the glue some added grip. The PlasticWeld worked well on our samples. It spread (800) 833-5130 to create a gap-free bond, filling in all the available space for strong adhesion that just wouldn’t quit, even after we tried desperately to separate the parts. NB: We recommend wearing a face mask when using the PlasticWeld as the chemical smell was www.craftechind.com www.craftechind.com quite powerful. 4 MA310 Adhesive » ® A two-part methacrylate adhesive designed for structural bonding of thermoplastic, metal and composite assemblies. Combined at a 1:1 ratio, it has a working time of 15 to 18 minutes and achieves a rapid fixture in 30 to 35 minutes at room temperature. Particularly well suited for bonding thermoplastic materials, the MA310 combines high strength and stiffness with the ability to adhere difficult-to-bond materials. Supplied in ready-to-use [cartridges. ] What is methacrylate Our Results and how does it work? PLEXUS The MA310 is not for someone on a strict budget. This adhesive required the purchase of an applicator gun, mixing nozzles, and the correct ratio plunger. If you have all these materials, then applying the MA310 is a breeze. For this adhesive, we sanded and Methacrylate adhesives, also referred to as acrylic adhesives, are incredibly strong clamped the samples and, after the 24 hours, trying and easy to use. Once the curing agent and resin are mixed, they chemically react to break the bond created proved to be extremely to form chemical chains that bind with each other and certain surfaces, particularly difficult. We were not able to break the samples of plastics and metals. Unlike epoxies, thorough mixing is not as crucial and, once any of our plastics apart. the chemical reaction initiates, the rate of reaction increases to provide more rapid strength build-up. Scotch-Weld™ DP8010 » Two-part acrylic based adhesive with a 10:1 ratio that provides high quality bonding performance on most low surface energy plastics including polypropylene, polyethylene and thermoplastic olefins without surface treatment. 3M™ [ ] Our Results This structural adhesive also requires the use of an applicator gun, mixing nozzles, and the correct ratio plunger. Even though the directions said we did not have (800) 833-5130 to roughen the surface, we did anyway just to improve the chances of a strong bond. Again, we obtained perfect results. Even Teflon, a notoriously slippery material, bonded tightly to itself. The soft plastic even chipped when we tried to break the bond. www.craftechind.com www.craftechind.com 5 Hot Glue Gun » A form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly supplied in solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters. The glue squeezed out of the heated nozzle is initially hot enough to burn and blister skin, so use with caution. The glue is tacky when hot, and solidifies in a [few seconds to one minute. It does not lose thickness during solidifying. ] Our Results STANLEY We used two different types of hot melt adhesives, all-purpose glue sticks and Formula II super strength glue sticks. Both sticks had a hit or miss success rate. After 24 hours, Teflon and polyethylene split pretty easily. Polyurethane didn’t create a bond at all. Polypropylene was a bit more successful. While we were still able to break the bond, it was very difficult.