Adhesives for PTFE

How to bond PTFE?  Permabond has adhesives for PTFE.   PTFE  (Teflon® or the proper name “Polytetrafluoroethylene”) is a notoriously difficult material to bond as it is non-stick by nature. It is common in applications where high temperature and/or exposure to harsh chemicals will be an issue.

Adhesives for PTFE:

Structural Acrylics – Permabond structural acrylics will provide the strongest bond.  Below lap shears of PTFE bonded with Permabond TA4610 and pulled show the PTFE deforms prior to the bond.  When even more force is applied the PTFE breaks before the bond.

Cyanoacrylates – Prime the PTFE with Permabond POP prior to bonding for best results.

How to bond PTFE – Tips for surface preparation & bonding:

For untreated PTFE use Permabond TA46xx series
Permabond TA46XX structural acrylic products, are developed especially for low-surface energy polyolefins and PTFE.

• TA4605 develops working strength in less than 4 hours
• TA4610 has an extended fixture time for larger components
• TA4611 is ideal for smaller gap fill
• TA4631 is a low odor product designed for small gap fill.

If a structural acrylic isn’t appropriate for your application, prime with Permabond POP and use with cyanoacrylate adhesive only (other adhesives are not compatible with POP).

Or, use a fluorocarbon etchant such as “Tetra-Etch” to expand the choices to other adhesive technologies.

Note – Corona, flame, plasma treatment, and abrasion show virtually no improvement in adhesion strength to PTFE.

Properties:
-Surface energy: 19mJ/m²
-Maximum service temperature: 260°C
-Melting temperature: 330°C