Bonding Plastics and Dissimilar Materials

Solvent-free adhesive bonding or joining of plastics with light curable adhesives can vary from a relatively simple process to something that is extremely challenging. Variables such as component configuration, molding humidity, surface energy, light transmission, and operating environment all influence which adhesive and bonding process best suits the application. On occasion, additional processes must be incorporated to mitigate some of these variables. For example, the bonding of plastics with low surface energy may require a pre-treatment process using plasma or corona discharge. Increasing surface energy improves the substrate’s “wettability”, which can dramatically improve adhesive bond strength.

The pioneering adhesive formulators at Panacol-USA have found methods to create more robust adhesives that possess greater cohesive strength with improved adhesion to a broader array of plastic substrates. Panacol-USA’s expertise in light curable adhesives has led to the development of much desired soft, flexible adhesives of the Vitralit^® brand that can be cured under low intensity UV and UV/Visible light. Despite using lower light intensity, Panacol-USA’s adhesives fully cure in seconds, and exhibit dry, tack-free surfaces. These low intensity curable adhesives are part of Panacol-USA’s LEDcure product line.

Vitralit® adhesives for bonding plastics and dissimilar substrates can be cured with UV, UV/Visible, or only visible light wavelengths. High strength bonds are achieved with a wide variety of substrates, including combinations of polycarbonate, acrylic, ABS, polyurethane, polyethylene, stainless steel, and glass. They are well suited for assembling consumer appliances and electronics, screens and displays, product packaging, and a host of other applications involving combinations of plastics, metals and glass.

Solvent-free uv adhesive is used for bonding even hard-to-bond substrates like PEEK