When something needs to be glued quickly, we like to use the well-known instant glue. As the name suggests, it bonds almost all materials to and with each other in a flash. These include, for example, metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, wood, leather or rubber. But how does the very fast reaction time of the adhesive come about? And where is this promising super glue used?
Cyanoacrylate miracle cure
The correct chemical name for instant glue is cyanoacrylate adhesive. And indeed, cyanoacrylates cure at lightning speed. But not while they are still in the adhesive tube.
In part three of our series “The world of bonding” we explained to you that adhesives become solid under different conditions. With cyanoacrylates, the all-important component for curing is: air humidity.
As soon as the adhesive comes into contact with air humidity, a chemical chain reaction is triggered. The individual monomers in the instant adhesive form long chains – so-called polymers – during the reaction. This lightning-like chain formation ensures that the adhesive cures quickly.
Is that too abstract for you? Then let’s be a little more graphic. Imagine a class of wildly dancing students (monomers). As soon as the teacher (humidity) claps her hands, the students join hands and form a long, stable line (polymers).
From seconds to hours
The very fast reaction time of instant adhesives saves time and money. Bonded parts can therefore be processed quickly. But how fast does instant glue cure exactly? In seconds, of course – right? Not exactly. After a few seconds, the bond is hand-tight, but the final strength is only reached after about 24 hours. How fast a superglue cures also depends on the type of adhesive and other conditions, such as the ambient temperature.Attention! No matter how powerful an instant adhesive is, it will not adhere properly if the surface is not properly prepared. We have already explained how to properly prepare surfaces for bonding in the second part of the series “The world of bonding”.
Types of instant adhesives
There are many types of instant adhesives available for different applications. There are adhesives that are as liquid as water and others that have a gel-like consistency. The advantage of the low-viscosity candidates is that they cure record-breakingly fast and can penetrate deep into the surface. Gel-like instant adhesives, on the other hand, can be applied very precisely and, for example, even overhead.WEICON, the adhesives professional, has also launched numerous instant adhesives for special requirements. They defy even the most adverse conditions. The special types include, for example, an adhesive for humid environments (VA 1408) or for high temperatures (VA 2500 HT).
We will report in more detail on adhesives for special requirements in the next part of this series.
Use at home and in industry
Cyanoacrylates are often used in the do-it-yourself and DIY sector. For example, WEICON’s Contact VA 100 is a popular universal type for small DIY and repair jobs.But it is not for nothing that there are so many different instant adhesives today. We now also come across the super glue in many areas of industry. It is used, among other things, in the manufacture of vehicles or the production of consumer goods. Its versatility on numerous materials and its fast curing also make it an ideal adhesive for series production.
Automotive industry
In the production of modern passenger cars, adhesives support the lightweight construction of the vehicles and are also characterised by very high strength values. For example, they are used to bond numerous applications, door panels or other parts in the interior of the motor vehicle, but the adhesives are also used in the engine compartment, for example in the air filter.
Consumer goods
Adhesives are also successfully used in the production of numerous consumer goods. To name just one example of many: The lids of vacuum jugs are bonded with cyanoacrylates.
Series production
In the field of tool production, for example, rubber inserts are fixed in handles for circular saws or handles on hand tools are secured against slipping with adhesives. For signal heads on traffic lights, powder-coated steel is bonded to NBR rubber with cyanoacrylates. In the production of computers, chips are glued to printed circuit boards and in mechanical engineering, feet are provided with dampers made of rubber or plastic.
If something goes wrong – removing superglue
It can happen that something goes wrong when working with adhesives – but it is still annoying. Because instant adhesives are very adhesive – and they like to prove this on work surfaces, tools, etc. WEICON CA Remover reliably dissolves and removes all types of cyanoacrylate adhesives. After a few minutes, the dissolved adhesive can be removed by wiping with a lint-free cloth.
And so it goes on
Bonding under water, in freezing cold or at temperatures far above 100 degrees – in the next part of our series “The World of Bonding” we will introduce you to a few adhesive candidates for extreme application conditions.
Images: WEICON
