Easy to bond high-performance plastics

For typical assembly processes, where you bond plastic to plastic or to other material components, you usually need a third material, the adhesive, to connect parts in a bonded joint.
Adhesive bonding is a very complex technology and not a simple solution. Plastic materials are subject to a combination of many different parameters and influences. However, there are some plastics that are easier to bond such as many amorphous plastics, for instance PC, PSU, PPSU, PES, PEI, PMMA, PS and some PI due to their partial dissolvability.

There are many specific assembly technologies available for industrial processes, depending on design conditions, number of parts, component size, application requirements and economy.
Bonding technology is a very efficient joining method, which permits plastics to be permanently joined to themselves or other materials. The chemical joining (bonding) of plastics offers a range of benefits compared to other joining methods:

  • Even distribution of stress
  • No damage to materials
  • No warping of joined parts
  • Different material combinations can be joined
  • The joint is sealed at the same time
  • Fewer components are required

GENERAL ADHESIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

The table below lists our general recommendations of adhesive types for bonding Ensinger plastics.

Polymer

Solvent adhesive

Reaction adhesive on the basis of …

Epoxy resin Polyurethane Cyanoacrylate
PE X X
PP X X
POM-H X X
POM-C X X
PA 66 X X X X
PA 6 X X X X
PBT X X X
PET X X X
PC X X X X
PVDF X X X
PSU X X X X
PPSU X X X X
PES X X X
PPS X X X
PEEK X X X
PI x x x

The following plastics are not suitable for bonding or only under certain conditions, such as pre-treatment of the material:

  • PTFE (TECAFLON PTFE)
  • Some other fluorine plastics
  • POM (TECAFORM products)
  • Polyolefins such as PE and PP (TECAFINE products)

BASICS ON HOW TO BOND PLASTICS

To successfully bond plastics, a number of external conditions have to be considered:

  • The adhesive should fulfill the main material requirements for the intended application, with regard to compliance (i.e. food compliance) and mechanical properties.
  • Thermal and chemical conditions should be taken into consideration when bonding plastic.
  • Finally, technological requirements such as surface pre-treatment, and the timing of adhesive application should be taken into consideration.

Please bear in mind the risk of stress cracking with amorphous plastics. Pre-treatment is always needed when joining plastics. (It is usually best to obtain detailed information from the adhesive supplier to help choose the most appropriate adhesive. Specific tests should be conducted for every real project that involves bonding plastics).

More about bonding plastics:

What benefits does the bonding method provide?
What are the decisive factors for a good bonded joint

Products and processing methods

To complement our products, we offer a comprehensive range of processing methods and products as well as customised profiles and tubes to meet your individual requirements for your finished or semi-finished part.

For detailed information, please contact us via our contact form.