Adhesive glossary
Short explanations of 36 terms and abbreviations used in bonding technology.
A
- Adhesion
- The force by which an adhesive holds onto a surface; the sum of physical, chemical and mechanical interactions at the interface.
- Anaerobic adhesive
- An adhesive that cures in the absence of air on contact with metal; used for threadlocking and gasketing.
- APAO
- Amorphous poly-alpha-olefin; a polyolefin hot melt base giving low charring and good adhesion.
C
- Charring
- Oxidation and darkening of hot melt held too long at high temperature.
- Cohesion
- The internal strength of the cured adhesive film.
- Contact adhesive
- An adhesive applied to both surfaces that bonds instantly under pressure once dry.
- Corona treatment
- A pretreatment that raises the surface energy of plastics and films by electrical discharge.
- Crosslinking
- Chemical bonds forming between polymer chains, raising heat, water and chemical resistance.
D
- Dispersion
- An adhesive of polymer particles dispersed in water that forms a film as the water evaporates or is absorbed.
E
- Elastomer
- A rubbery polymer that stretches under load and recovers when released.
- Epoxy
- A high-strength two-component reactive adhesive made of resin and hardener.
- EVA
- Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer; the most common polymer in hot melts and dispersions.
F
- Final strength
- The maximum strength an adhesive reaches after full cure.
- Fogging
- Condensation of substances evaporating from materials on glass; a key criterion for vehicle interiors.
- Formaldehyde
- A volatile compound that some resins and glues can release; limited by low-emission classes in furniture.
G
- Green strength
- The strength reached shortly after bonding, before full cure, at which parts can be handled.
H
- Hot melt
- A 100% solids adhesive applied molten that bonds as it cools.
I
- Isocyanate
- The reactive group that crosslinks PU and PUR systems; requires protective measures during application.
M
- Monomer
- The small building-block molecule that forms a polymer chain.
- MS polymer
- Silane-modified polymer; a moisture-curing, elastic, isocyanate-free adhesive and sealant.
O
- Open time
- The maximum time after application within which parts can still be joined.
P
- PO
- Polyolefin; a hot melt class with high heat and oxidative stability.
- POR
- Silane moisture-curing reactive polyolefin hot melt; isocyanate-free.
- Pot life
- How long a two-component system remains usable after mixing.
- Primer
- An adhesion-promoting intermediate layer forming a chemical bridge between surface and adhesive.
- PSA
- Pressure-sensitive adhesive; a permanently tacky system that bonds under pressure.
- PUR
- Moisture-curing reactive polyurethane hot melt.
- PVAc
- Polyvinyl acetate; the dispersion polymer behind wood glues.
S
- Solvent
- An organic liquid that dissolves the binder in an adhesive and evaporates.
- Surface energy
- A surface's tendency to be wetted; low-energy materials are hard to bond.
T
- Thermoplastic
- A polymer that softens when heated and hardens when cooled, repeatedly.
- Thermoset
- A crosslinked polymer that cannot be remelted after curing.
- Thixotropy
- Material behaviour of being non-sag at rest but flowing when stirred or under pressure.
- Toluene
- An aromatic solvent once common in solvent-based adhesives; now increasingly restricted.
V
- Viscosity
- A liquid's resistance to flow, expressed in mPa·s.
- VOC
- Volatile organic compounds that evaporate easily at room temperature.
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