INSTANT PLASTIC ADHESIVES
Industrial Strength Urethane & Plastic Grade Cyanoacrylates, used in tough demanding repair jobs, (used all over the world)
We are able to manufacture most any epoxy, methacrylate, acrylic, urethane or cyanoacrylate adhesive possible!
Cyanoacrylates, or CA's, are very quick-setting, high performance instant adhesives that can be used in a variety of situations, with a variety of substances like rubber, plastic, metal, and ceramics. You can do repairs on flying model aircraft, prototype electronics, or even bonding tissue for suture-less repair during surgery. You need to take care when handling these adhesives; gluing your fingers together is easy. Separating them is much more difficult! This CA has been formulated to adhere to most plastics, and has a much higher stress fracture ratio, than the methyl or butal!
These adhesives are single component adhesives, fast curing at room temperature, solvent free and resistant to many environmental factors. Cyanoacrylates are based on a wide range of different acetates with the smallest molecule size being methyl followed by ethyl and then the larger size such as butyl etc. In general the smaller the molecule the greater the overall strength and faster the speed of cure. The main advantage of the higher molecular weight ester is less odor, reduced 'blooming' and slightly more flexibility.
Cyanoacrylates are kept in their liquid form when in the bottle by the use of acidic stabilizer. Polymerization (solidification) in most cases takes place under the influence of trace moisture on the surface of the substrate. As the two surfaces are brought together the moisture on the surface helps to neutralize the acidic stabilizer, which results in fast adhesion. The curing mechanism can be affected by the following:
- Ambient humidity is too low
- High acidic levels on surface of substrate
- Dirty surface
Correct cleaning and preparation of the surface is therefore vital for successful binding. Non-polar surfaces such as polyethylene/polyolephin are difficult to bond and require special preparation, polyethylene is very difficult to bond.
Cyanoacrylates are not considered a glue, but an adhesive. Adhesives being more of the structural family of bonding polymers.
Plastics require ethylene type cyanoacrylates. Methyl being used for metal substrates, butyl can be used on both, and is more of a flexible CA.
All surfaces must be clean, dry, and dust and grease free. A light sanding will lead to the best results. If you are using an accelerator, use it on one component only. Apply a thin film of adhesive to the other surface and bring the pieces together immediately. Hold for a few seconds.
In general a little goes a long way. One average size drop from our standard bottle will cover 2.5 cm. Using cyanoacrylate adhesives only requires a small amount; the thinner the bond line the better the overall performance.