Overview of adhesive options we have available in ADBE, what they look like and what they can be used for. Common material couplings. Permenant or temporary/reversible bonds Note: if you're looking for information on how materials might be bonded together in the manufacturing world, you have come to the wrong page! Please navigate to the 'DFM' section via this link
- Adhesive options in ADBE
- PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate)
- Superglue (cyanoacrylate)
- Z-Poxy (2-part epoxy glue)
- Solvent cement / Plastic Weld (DCM/dichloromethane)
- Cascamite (UF-based resin wood glue)
- Contact Adhesive
- Elastosil A07 (silicone adhesive
Adhesive options in ADBE
PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate)
Available from: workshop stores for PD students and M271 for ARCH students. Perfect for bonding paper-based materials together or timber together. (Completely ineffective or weak bond on incompatible materials). Skin-safe and non-toxic, so can be used for bonding large surface areas if needed. Materials often need to stay clamped, weighted, strapped together while the glue fully dries to achieve the best bond. Dries clear in thin sections so residue is less visible. Whilst still wet, residue/overspill can be clean off surfaces with a wet cloth/sponge.
Superglue (cyanoacrylate)
Available from: workshop stores for PD students and M271 for ARCH students. Fast, permenant bond between compatible materials. Bond can fail between incompatible materials, from a sudden shear impact, or from flexing of the bonded materials. To be used in small amounts only as fumes are toxic. Wear gloves to prevent glue for getting on your skin (Debonder available in M271 if you do accidentally glue your fingers together, please try not to). Can be difficult to control during application, leading to messy results or damage to your model (visible glue deposits along bonded areas, unwanted glue residue on surfaces meant to be kept clean). Residue cannot be removed from a surface without the use of aggressive solvents (available in M110) which also strip away paint finishes and/or can damage certain materials.
Z-Poxy (2-part epoxy glue)
Available from: workshop stores for PD students and M271 for ARCH students. Bonds a wide-range of materials together. Can deal with shocks and a bit of flexion unlike superglue. Initial fast setting time (which also means not much time to mix and apply the glue!). Takes a bit longer to reach it's full, final strength. Toxic: Wear gloves whilst handling the bottles (they can get sticky!), mixing and applying. Quickly but thoroughly mix the resin and hardener in equal amounts on a scrap piece of sheet material BEFORE applying to surfaces you want to bond. Use masking tape or other low-tack tapes to hold one material firmly against the other while the Z-Poxy fully sets. Easier to control during application, any unwanted residue can be cleaned off surfaces with isopropyl alcohol (available in M110), but only while still wet! Once fully cured, unwanted residue can only be removed via sanding - meaning you may have to re-paint areas.
Note: Check the box of Z-Poxy you want to use actually has 1 resin bottle and 1 hardener bottle in it - sometimes they get mixed up and you may find for e.g. 2 resin bottles in a box - mixing equal parts of the same component together will not harden and will only ruin your model!
Solvent cement / Plastic Weld (DCM/dichloromethane)
Available from: M271 only Toxic solvent used to 'melt' plastics together, creating a very strong bond. Can be reversed by re-applying solvent to bonded area. Always wear gloves, use the dispensers it's provided in appropriately and do not inhale the solvent as it can cause nasty headaches. Plastic materials should be placed together dry, then use a small brush to apply the solvent at the joining point and hold the materials still until the solvent has created an effective bond. Putting more solvent on does not make the bond stronger! Follow technician's advice on best application methods.
Cascamite (UF-based resin wood glue)
Available from: workshop stores only (ask for Cascamite, whisk, mixing bowl and gloves)
This product is a powder you mix with water (hence the need for whisk and bowl). Used often in the timber laminating process (either manually-pressed/clamped or vacuum-bag-assisted)
Contact Adhesive
Elastosil A07 (silicone adhesive)
Credits:
Created with an image by Dorin - "Double syringe with epoxy gel glue spilling on genuine brown leather texture, soft focus close up"