Page 14 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 17th August 2020

ADHESIVES...

A big step in the technology

of cyanoacrylate adhesives

Peter Swanson, Managing Director at adhesives specialist Intertronics, explains how

the new Born2Bond range represent a big step forward in cyanoacrylate technology
yanoacrylate adhesives (CAs) have been both industry and household)
around since the 1950s, and from the l Methoxyethyl (MECA) – for low odour, low
1970s they have become a common bloom formulations
Chousehold product. Today, manufacturers There are others: octyl monomers are used to
are increasingly using CAs and rely on them to bond make medical products for bonding skin, for
plastic, metal, ceramic, rubber, wood and other example.
substrates in many types of assemblies. They are Despite their popularity, up until now
unique in that they provide fast curing and high- cyanoacrylate adhesives have had drawbacks based
strength bonding to various substrates without the around brittleness, limited temperature and
need for a separate heat or energy source. moisture resistance, and other physical
There are a number of cyanoacrylate monomers disadvantages. There are bad perceptions around
which are used to formulate cyanoacrylate odour, and poor aesthetic outcomes due to
adhesives: blooming. These have limited their appeal and
l Methyl (MCA) – primarily for metal-to-metal application. MECA-based formulations, which
applications mitigate some of the issues around blooming and
l Ethyl (ECA) – for plastic, metal, wood, ceramics smell, often compare poorly with ECA-based
and glass substrates (the most commonly used in products in terms of speed and strength.

August 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p14