Adhesive Materials

Animal Glues: An aqueous adhesive that has been produced commercially, since the 17th century. Animal glues are made from collagen and gelatin, the raw materials generally come from the bones and joints of cattle. These glues are an old standard in the adhesives industry and are still extensively used today in the woodworking industry, and in the gummed tape industry as well.

Epoxy Resins: These structural adhesives first came about in the mid 20th century. Epoxies are often two part mixtures that typically consist of a bisphenol A or epichlorihydrin. After mixing the two parts of the epoxy, there is a limited amount of time that the user has to apply the epoxy to the joint, this could be considered one limitation of epoxies, although they do have excellent strength.

Polyvinyl Acetal: This adhesive has been made for approximately 50 years and is a product that is best known for its ability to adhere to many different adherends. It is widely used in applications where it is applied to both sides of a sheet of glass to make safety glass. It is very strong and flexible.

Hot Melts: Hot melt adhesives are generally made from low molecular weight polyolefins with reasonably low melting points. Hot melt adhesives are capable of setting up in a very short amount of time compared to other adhesives, therefore would allow for increased production. No hazardous materials introduced into the environment, allows for less cost for solvent recovery.

Polyvinyl Alcohol: PVOH is offered by a large number of manufacturers and in many different grades. It is often used in the U.S. as a paper sizing agent, and as an adhesive that is best suited to be used in an emulsion form as a binder for paper or wood products.

Acrylic Adhesives: Known for several good properties, such as high flexibility at low temperatures, it can adhere to a wide variety of materials, cheap, safe, durable, and has good resistance to water. They are often used in applications where a high bond strength is required. Acrylics are often used in pressure sensitive adhesives where high bond strength is required. It is often used as an adhesive for tile flooring.

Anaerobic Adhesives: These adhesives will last for a long time in storage at room temperature in the presence of oxygen, but when the adhesive is pressed between two objects in the presence of limited oxygen, they will begin to cure and form very strong and durable bonds that are long lasting. Some applications include threadlocking and liquid gaskets.

Cyanoacrylate Adhesives: Cyanoacrylates are used in large volumes today in applications that are difficult to assemble or hard to get to. Most applications are used in single drop applications. Cyanoacrylates will cure in the presence of oxygen and water, and is more commonly known as Super Glue.