Bonding clear plastics for display stands

Laurie Gibbons

Bonding Plastic, Material Specific Adhesives

March 30, 2016

People just love beautiful things, and it is our job in the adhesive industry to provide manufacturers with aesthetically pleasing adhesives. None so more vital than in the world of POS (point of sale) display items – this can include things such as display cases, racks, menu stands, literature stands, signs, etc… Because the construction materials are normally clear plastic, such as acrylic or polycarbonate (often referred to by their tradenames, Perspex® and Plexiglas®), the adhesive ideally needs to be clear and preferably invisible to make the finished item look good.

Therefore, as our mothers have probably told us, it is what is on the inside that counts, and don’t get too hung up on looks. However, it is possible to have an adhesive combining the best of both worlds – perfect aesthetics on the outside and a high bond strength and excellent durability on the inside. Moreover, the added benefit of being process-friendly for a busy production line.

So what are these super-duper all singing all dancing products?

There are several options depending on your preferred assembly process. To summarize, here is a list of pros and cons:

	Benefits	Limitations
Industry standard methylene chloride solvent welding method	Cheap Quick Non-yellowing	Poor appearance (often visible air bubbles or whitening in the joint) Hazardous solvent Weakens plastic Welds in a couple of seconds when parts are joined (no time for alignment or adjustment) Cannot bond other materials such as metal Wastage (due to volatility)
Permabond UV cure adhesives (UV63X and UV64X ranges)	Clear, colourless and non-yellowing No mixing required Take as long as you like to align, assemble and clean parts before flashing with UV light for cure in seconds High strength Can bond other materials such as metal Minimal wastage	Suitable lamp required for curing Needs at least one transparent component to allow UV light to pass through to cure the adhesive
Permabond crystal clear TA4204 structural acrylic	Clear, colourless and non-yellowing Fixture 1-4 minutes allows alignment of parts High strength Can be used on opaque substrates or other materials such as metal	Mixing required (via static mixing nozzle) – potential wastage Strong odour (MMA)