Clear, fast plastic bonder... including acrylic!

Araldite 2028 adhesive is a fast setting, transparent, two-part polyurethane adhesive. What makes this adhesive different is that it is both transparent and UV stable, as well as flexible and fast curing.

Araldite 2028 bonds wide varieties of plastics including polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). Tailor made for seismic cables and cable assemblies, as well as general industrial applications.

Araldite 2028 will find many applications in bonding acrylic sheets and parts; it is clear and quick to cure, so our customers making point-of-sale (POS) displays and signs/signage will find it invaluable.

Bonding optical couplets

A question from the DYMAX blog:

We have to manufacture a component which is comprised of two individual parts molded from acrylic (PMMA) that have slightly different additives. The parts have concave and convex surfaces which fit onto each other. We want optical coupling between these two surfaces. Can we place one piece as an insert and mold the other over it? Is there some other, better method to achieve the same effect?

One common technique to bond couplets together as described is to mold both acrylic lenses separately and then bond them together with an optically clear adhesive. There are optical grades of adhesives that have excellent adhesion to acrylic, are designed to be transparent to most visible wavelengths, possess low shrinkage, stress, and viscosity for easy dispensing and alignment, and then cure uniformly and evenly under the proper light source. The real benefit is that you can optically align the lenses together while the adhesive is wet, and then cure on-demand.

Adhesive for acrylic aesthetics

We have many customers who bond acrylic (PMMA) parts together to make display cabinets or point of sale structures. One way of doing this is to use a solvent based adhesive, but these often give cloudy or untidy joints. In an industry where cosmetic aesthetics is important (like selling cosmetics!), a clear and structurally secure joint is required.

One solution is to use DYMAX 3099 (pdf file), a UV curing plastic bonder which works particularly well on acrylic. It gives a very strong, high clarity bond, and offers all the advantages of UV cure: a single part adhesive, very fast cure. Combined with a UV curing lamp, DYMAX 3099 has been used for exhibition displays, trophies, post of sale stands, signs, covers, and many other acrylic applications.