A big step forward in the technology of cyanoacrylate adhesives

Cyanoacrylate adhesives (CAs) have been around since the 1950s, and from the 1970s, they have become a common household product. Today, manufacturers are increasingly using CAs and rely on them to bond plastic, metal, ceramic, rubber, wood and other substrates in many types of assemblies.

01/04/2021 15:33:28

Cyanoacrylate adhesives are unique in that they provide fast curing and high-strength bonding to various substrates without the need for a separate heat or energy source. Here, Peter Swanson, Managing Director at Intertronics, explains how the new Born2Bond range represents a big step forward in cyanoacrylate technology.

There are a number of cyanoacrylate monomers that are used to formulate cyanoacrylate adhesives:

• Methyl (MCA) – primarily for metal-to-metal applications

• Ethyl (ECA) – for plastic, metal, wood, ceramics and glass substrates (the most commonly used in both industry and household)

• Methoxyethyl (MECA) – for low-odour, low-bloom formulations.

There are others: octyl monomers are used to make medical products for bonding skin, for example.

Despite their popularity, up until now, cyanoacrylate adhesives have had drawbacks based on brittleness, limited temperature and moisture resistance, and other physical disadvantages.

Read the full article in the April issue of DPA