We engineer crosslinked plastic-bonding epoxy systems that achieve structural adhesion on low-surface-energy polymers and advanced engineering plastics where standard adhesives fail.
A bond that passes dry lap shear testing but softens in the presence of industrial cleaning solvents, fuels, or hydraulic fluids is not a qualified structural bond. Our solvent-resistant adhesive systems are tested for strength retention after immersion in the actual process fluids of each application, not generic chemical resistance ratings.
Joining engineering plastics to metals or glass introduces a CTE mismatch problem that rigid high-modulus adhesives cannot accommodate. Polycarbonate has a CTE of 65 to 70 ppm/°C, aluminium sits at 23 ppm/°C, and glass at 8 to 9 ppm/°C. Across a 100°C thermal excursion, that differential generates shear strain at the bond line that a brittle epoxy transmits directly to the substrate as peel stress.
Our applications engineers match ceramic bonding formulations to your substrate, thermal profile, and electrical requirements.
Low surface energy is the primary reason standard adhesives fail on engineering plastics. A surface energy below 36 mJ/m² prevents adequate adhesive wetting, producing a weak boundary layer that fails at a fraction of the adhesive’s rated strength. Our advanced plastic adhesive systems solve this through plasma or chemical etch activation that raises surface energy above 44 mJ/m² before application, combined with formulation chemistry selected for compatibility with the polar surface groups each activation method generates.
Our high-strength industrial adhesive glues for plastic applications achieve lap shear strengths of 8 to 15 MPa on PEEK and PEI without primers. Surface energy is raised above 44 mJ/m² through plasma activation, and cure shrinkage is controlled below 2% to prevent residual interface stress on these high-modulus substrates.
Polycarbonate's susceptibility to solvent stress cracking rules out most adhesive systems that rely on solvent carriers. Our advanced adhesives for plastic formulations for polycarbonate use solvent-free chemistry with low cure exotherm, preventing thermally initiated micro-cracking at the bond line during cure.
Nylon absorbs moisture that migrates to the bond interface and degrades adhesion over time. Our adhesive for plastic systems for nylon are tested for lap shear retention after 500 hours at 70°C and 95% RH, retaining above 75% of dry strength on moisture-conditioned substrates. Acrylic substrates are bonded with formulations selected for refractive index compatibility where optical clarity is required.
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Selection starts with surface energy measurement on the prepared substrate: if the contact angle exceeds 30° to 45°-50° after your current preparation method, the surface is not ready for structural bonding regardless of adhesive choice. Our plastic bonding epoxy recommendations always pair the adhesive with a surface activation protocol verified above 44 mJ/m², because the preparation method determines bond durability more than formulation chemistry does on LSE substrates.
Yes, provided the formulation is selected for the CTE differential between the two substrates rather than for peak lap shear alone. Our high-strength industrial epoxy systems for polycarbonate-to-steel joints use toughened chemistry with sufficient elongation to absorb differential thermal strain across the service temperature range without initiating peel at the bond edge. Rigid high-modulus systems specified only on dry strength fail this joint within hundreds of thermal cycles.
A qualified solvent-resistant adhesive retains above 80% of dry lap shear strength after 500 hours’ immersion in the actual process fluid at the maximum service temperature, not in a generic solvent at ambient conditions. Our team conducts immersion testing in the client’s specific process fluids before material selection is confirmed, because solvent resistance varies significantly with fluid chemistry, temperature, and stress state during exposure.