Information
Knowing when to use 3M
™
Adhesives and Tapes to
improve your product and process
Q
What types of materials are you joining?
Some materials are harder to bond than others. But with 3M
adhesive and tape technologies, even many materials once defined
as “hard-to-bond”, such as low surface energy plastics can be
bonded, with strength in some cases greater than the materials
bonded.
Q
Can adhesives hold together the materials you want to join
with the strength you need?
Strength can be readily matched to the substrate and stress or
“load” characteristics to which the bond will be subjected to. The
strength required will be a function of the load applied to the
area of bond. 3M have a range of chemistries that give a range of
“strengths”. You can match the loads that will be applied to the
strength of a 3M adhesive.
Q
What type of load will be applied?
Most adhesives and tapes perform better when the primary stress
is tensile or shear, however in most industrial applications, a
combination of stresses are involved that may include cleavage
and peel. Many of the technical data tables provided in this guide
include details of shear strength, tensile strength & peel strength,
and may assist in selecting adhesives with the right characteristics
for the primary load types.
Q
Do you want to eliminate the stress concentration caused
by spot welds, rivets, screws, or other mechanical
fasteners and maintain surface integrity?
Adhesives distribute stress evenly over the entire bonded area. A
rivet or screw hole in the substrate concentrates stress at the hole
and can decrease some physical properties of the substrate. With
uniform stress distribution of adhesives and tapes, lighter, thinner
materials can be used without concerns about distortion, splitting,
or crazing at the mechanically fastened site. Elimination of holes
in metal also reduces the chance of rust and corrosion.
Q
Would invisible fastening improve your products
appearance?
3M adhesives and tapes are generally hidden between the bonded
substrates. Surfaces stay smooth and clean for a more attractive
appearance and less surface refinishing.
Q
Do you want to attach dissimilar substrates?
Laminates of dissimilar materials can often produce combinations
superior in strength and performance to either substrate alone.
The flexibility of many 3M adhesives and tapes compensates for
differences in the coefficients of expansion between such materials
as aluminum and wood.
Q
Is the design of your component right for adhesive bonding?
Adhesives perform better with some component configurations
than with others. With the variety of 3M adhesive forms such
as pastes, aerosol sprays, and tapes, you should be able to find
an adhesive to meet the requirements of most parts that can be
assembled with mechanical or fusion fastening. A spray adhesive
would be effective, for example, to cover foam cushioning, but
would not be a consideration for a part with a narrow bonding area.
For cleaner, more efficient application, die-cut pressure sensitive
adhesive foam tape can be precisely placed on smaller, irregularly-
shaped bonding surfaces.
Q
Will your finished assembly be exposed to harsh
environmental conditions?
Some adhesives do not hold well when exposed to very low or very
high temperatures, high humidity, chemicals, or even water. Other
adhesives are specially formulated to resist harsh environments.
Q
Do you need high speed bonding?
In some instances, adhesive bonding can be slow and require
critical processing. Some epoxies, for example, require heat,
pressure and fixturing to bond metal to metal in structural strength
assemblies. With the wide range of 3M adhesives and tapes,
however, a variety of open times are available. Depending on
your end use requirements, you can select 3M pressure sensitive
adhesives that bond on contact or a 3M two-part paste adhesive
with open times ranging from 2 to 90 minutes. Repositionable
formulations are also available for repeated openings and closings.
Q
Will your part be subjected to vibration?
The viscoelasticity of many 3M adhesives and tapes improves
resistance to vibration fatigue by imparting flexibility to a joint or
bonded area.
Q
Do you want to cut costs, increase production and simplify
your operation?
With 3M adhesives and tapes, you can see cost reduction through
reduced material requirements, weight reductions, and elimination
of drilling, welding, screwing, finishing, and similar operations.
Tensile & Shear loads – the load is
evenly distributed over the bond.
Cleavage & Peel – loads are not as
evenly distributed.
Tensile
Shear
Cleavage
Peel
Based on your answers to the following questions, you can decide if it will be
worth your time to evaluate specific 3M adhesives and tapes for your operation.
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