How Do I Choose the Best Plastic Adhesive?

It is helpful to consider such things as strength, drying time, and the type of materials that you are working with when choosing plastic adhesive. There are adhesives available specifically made to work with different types of plastics, and they come in a range of prices. You can find plastic adhesive that will safely hold any type of plastic as long as you are willing to do research and read labels.

There are plastics made from many materials on the market including polycarbonate, nylon, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These plastics do not have the same properties and require different types of adhesives to bond them together well. When making a decision about the best plastic adhesive, you need to first find out the specific types of plastic you are bonding together. You can use this information to choose an adhesive made for your purposes, as adhesives have information on their packaging about the surfaces that they work best with.

Some manufacturers of plastic adhesive make specific products for certain types of plastic, such as PVC. If you are using a well-known type of plastic you, should choose an adhesive that is made specifically for that purpose. PVC adhesive is made to bond PVC material to other surfaces as well as itself. If you are having difficulty finding the name or variety of plastic that you need to bond, you should think about choosing an all-purpose plastic adhesive, such as epoxy.

Other information can help you make the best choice about which plastic adhesive to use, such as the bond strength and the curing time, which is the same thing as drying time. A fast curing time, which is the time in which the adhesive completely dries, can sometimes mean less bond strength. If you find a product with a slow curing time, it sometimes has a higher bond strength. The bond strength is measured by the amount of pressure that it can withhold before it will disassemble, so choose a bond strength that meets your needs depending on the project. Slow curing time means that you will have to wait for the plastic adhesive to dry, which is not helpful if you need something fixed immediately.

Another consideration in the cost and availability of the plastic adhesive in your area. It is generally less costly to find something available locally than to order it specially, as that incurs a shipping fee. Your budget will automatically eliminate certain choices if you determine the amount that you want to spend beforehand.