Bonding Selector Guide 10/3/01 8:35 AM Page 1

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BONDING For successful bonding, knowledge of adhesive

methodology is essential. The most frequent causes
for adhesive failure do not involve adhesive strength.
S
Rather, they are attributed to inadequate
DOENS preparation of the substrates and improper
NOOR
T A BR adhesive selection.
SS ACK
EM ET
BL The most important factor in proper adhesive
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selection is assessing the environment the adhesive
must withstand. Once the environmental factors
have been recognized, adhesive selection becomes
more easily defined, as other factors such as joint
design, substrates, load, stress cycles, etc., can
often be varied or altered with minor design
changes.
What is the Best Adhesive for My Application?
The following chart has been designed to help you
select a bonding adhesive. This chart is intended to
serve as a general guideline to help you determine
which adhesive categories are best suited for your
application. The data presented represents typical
properties for each adhesive category; however,
individual product properties may differ. It is
suggested that, based on the information provided,
you consider at least the two best adhesive
categories that meet your application criteria.
Individual product information can then be found on
the pages that follow to help narrow your search.
This chart should not be used to specify adhesives without specific
testing. It is recommended that you conduct on-part testing to ensure
adhesive performance before specifying any adhesive.
Loctite Adhesives and Sealants Specialists are available to assist you with
new product designs, or to help you re-engineer an existing application
for improved performance and cost savings. They can also set up testing
of your parts at the Loctite Customer Engineering Center nearest you. For
application assistance, call 1-800-LOCTITE (562-8483) or visit
[Link] and select “Contact Loctite.”

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Bonding Selector Guide 10/3/01 8:35 AM Page 2

PERFORMANCE ADHESIVE CATEGORY

CONSIDERATIONS Acrylics Cyanoacrylates Epoxies Hot Melts Silicones Urethanes 2-Part Acrylics 2-Step Acrylics

Benefits Good impact Excellent Wide range Fast, large Excellent Excellent Good impact Good impact
resistance/ adhesion to of formulations gap fiiling temperature toughness/ resistance/ resistance/
flexibility rubber or plastics resistance flexibility flexibility flexibility

BONDING
Limitations Primer Low solvent Mixing Low heat Low strength Sensitive to Mixing required Primer required
required resistance required resistance moisture

Temperature Resistance
Typical for the category (°F) -65 to +300 -65 to +180 -65 to +180 -65 to +250 -65 to +400 -65 to +250 -65 to +250 -65 to +300
Highest Rated Product (°F) 400 250 275 330 600 300 250 400

Environmental Resistance
Polar Solvents Good Poor1 Very good Good Good Good Good Good
(ex, H20, Ethylene Glycol,
IPA, Acetone)
Non-Polar Solvents Very good Good Excellent Good Poor Good Very good Very good
(ex, Motor Oil, Toluene,
Gasoline, ATF)

Adhesion to Substrates
Metals Excellent Very good Excellent Good Good Good Excellent Excellent
Plastics2 Fair Excellent Fair Very good Fair Very good Excellent Fair
Glass Excellent Poor Excellent Good Very good Good Good Excellent
Rubber Poor Very good Fair Fair Good Good Poor Poor
Wood Good Good Very Good Excellent Fair Fair Good Good

Overlapping High High High Low Low Medium High High

Shear Strength

Peel Strength Medium Low Medium Medium Medium Medium High Medium

Tensile Strength High High High Low Low Medium High High

Elongation/Flexibility Medium Low Low High Very High High High Medium

Hardness Semi-Rigid Rigid Rigid Semi-Soft Soft Soft Semi-rigid Semi-rigid

PROCESS
CONSIDERATIONS

Number of Components 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 2

Cure Temperature Room Temp. Room Temp. Room Temp. Room Temp.3 Room Temp. Room Temp. Room Temp. Room Temp.

Fixture Time
Average 10 minutes 60 seconds 35 minutes 70 seconds 25 minutes 25 minutes 20 minutes 5 minutes
Fastest 30 seconds 10 seconds 3-5 minutes 20 seconds 10 minutes 5 minutes 3-5 minutes 30 seconds

Full Cure Time 24 hours 24 hours 12 - 24 hours 1 hour 24 hours 24 hours 24 hours 24 hours
(or when cooled)4

Gap Fill
Ideal (in inches) 0.002 - 0.004 0.001 - 0.003 0.004 - 0.006 0.002 - 0.005 0.004 - 0.006 0.004 - 0.006 0.010 - 0.040 0.002 - 0.004
Maximum (in inches) 0.040 0.010 0.125 0.240 0.240 0.125 0.5 0.040

Dispensing/Mixing No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Equipment Required?

Light Cure Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes

Versions Available?

For more information on 6-9, 10-13, 14-17, 16-17, 27, 29, 34, 15, 18, 7, 9 6, 8
each adhesive category, 26-28, 27, 28, 85 19 48 35, 49, 85 19, 85
refer to pages... 84, 86

1 Cyanoacrylates have very good moisture resistance on plastics.

2 Uncured liquid adhesives may cause stress cracking of certain thermoplastics, e.g. polycarbonate, acrylic, and polysulfone. Special products and
process techniques are available. Consult the Loctite Design Guide to Bonding Plastics (LT2197) or contact 1-800-LOCTITE for more information.
3 Elevated temperatures are required to dispense liquid Hot Melt Adhesives.
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Urethane Hot Melts require 24 hours for full cure.
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