Applying structural glue along the entire length of joint with applicator

3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesives

Structural adhesive solutions for any bonding and assembly challenge.

Markets

  • Modern kitchen with bright sunlight flowing in featuring latest appliances
    Appliances
    • Simplify operations by bonding after powdercoating
    • Eliminate the challenge of bonding rigid to flexible substrates
    • Noise damping
    • Reduce complexity-bond and seal glass to metal in one step

    Key Chemistries:
    Epoxy, Acrylic, PUR

  • Large airplane on the tarmac with setting sun in the background
    Aerospace

    Key Chemistries:
    Epoxy, Urethane

  • Modern electronic devices and gadgets arranged in a grid pattern
    Electronics
    • Low halogen formulations available to meet customer needs
    • Fast cure to speed production
    • Durable adhesive bonds protect sensitive electrical connections from the environment
    • Battery bonding See Battery Bonding Guide (PDF, 3.49 MB)

    Key Chemistries:
    Epoxy, Acrylic, PUR

  • Large HVAC industrial exhaust metal pipe fixtures on building roof
    HVAC
    • Floor panel and drain pan to frame
    • Side wall panel attachment to frame
    • Stiffener to panel

    Key Chemistries:
    Acrylic

  • Large industrial metal cabinets for commercial use of storing electric devices
    Metalworking
    • High strength and durability
    • Reduced surface preparation before bonding, and no grinding after bonding
    • Save weight and improve appearance with adhesives instead of welds or rivets

    Key Chemistries:
    Epoxy, Acrylic, Anaerobic

  • Colourful and vibrant city with neon signs against the night sky
    Signage
    • One adhesive to bond all of your substrates
    • Strong formulations and thin bond lines
    • Weather resistance
    • UL recognition

    Key Chemistries:
    Acrylic

  • Large container vehicle driven off into the sunset along the highway
    Specialty Vehicle

    Key Chemistries:
    Urethane, Acrylic

  • Golf club hitting a golf ball against a serene green field
    Sporting Goods
    • Excellent impact resistance of high stressed bonds
    • High strength for small joints
    • High strength bonding of rubber, composites, and metals to each other

    Key Chemistries:
    Epoxy, Acrylic

  • Modern and expensive two-door sports car speeding on the highway
    Transportation

    Key Chemistries:
    Acrylic


  • Benefits of structural bonding adhesives
    Core benefits of 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesives
Strength

All our structural adhesives offer the strength you need, without the weight you don’t, so you can reduce or replace mechanical fasteners.

Material Bonding

Structural adhesives bond dissimilar materials and also provide insulation to resist corrosion when bonding two different metals.

Process Efficiency

Different chemistries provide a variety of surface preparation, open time and strength-build times so you can find the best options for your process.

Impact Resistance

Depending on the chemistry, structural adhesive bonds provide the strength or flexibility to resist shock, vibration and impact loads.

Lightweighting

Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials.

Innovation in Design

Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials.

Aesthetics

Structural adhesives provide better product appearance through invisible joints and smooth bond lines.

NVH
Different chemistries offer different advantages for reducing unwanted noise: stiff bonds can resist vibration, while flexible bonds can absorb and disperse these energies.
Water Intrusion
Structural adhesives provide a continuous bond line to prevent the migration of fluids, dust and dirt.

Types of 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesives

Acrylic Adhesives

Fast, easy adhesion with excellent bonding strength

  • Significantly improve throughput and productivity with reliable long-term bonding of dissimilar substrates
  • Withstand extreme temperatures
  • Applies easily
  • Builds strength rapidly
  • Resists impact and peel stresses
  • Replace metal fasteners for the process of static and dynamic loads
  • Bonds most plastics, aluminum, steel and oily metal surfaces
  • Non-flammable classifications and low odor formulations available to improve working environments

See 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Acrylic Adhesives in action

  • Video of Impact Strength Test
    Impact Strength Test (0:22)

    Demonstration of an impact strength test involving 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Acrylic Adhesive DP8405NS.

  • Video of Speed of Cure with 3M Structural Acrylic
    Speed of Cure with 3M's Next Generation Structural Acrylic (1:04)

    See the strength of a 3M acrylic adhesive after just a few minutes compared to a competitor.

  • Video of HVAC Applications
    HVAC Applications (1:10)

    Learn about the many advantages 3M structural acrylic adhesives offer for HVAC manufacturing.

Epoxy Adhesives

The standard for strength, durability and outdoor weathering

  • Durable in demanding conditions, including outdoor weathering, many solvents and other conditions
  • Continuous bond lines to prevent the migration of fluids, dust and dirt
  • Bond a wide variety of substrates - attain the freedom to design with the best materials available
  • Exceptional resistance to shock, vibration, and impact loads
  • Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials
  • Vibration resistance reduces opportunities for unwanted noise
  • Enhanced aesthetics through invisible joints and smooth bond lines

One-Part Epoxies – One-part epoxy adhesives eliminate metering and mixing but require heat to cure, with newer formulations curing at lower temperatures than older versions.

Two-Part Epoxies – Two-part epoxy adhesives begin curing when the two components are mixed and offer different performance characteristics depending on the formulation.

See 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy Adhesive in action

PUR Adhesives

Structural strength with hot melt speed

  • Combines the initial speed of a hot melt adhesive with the strength of a structural adhesive
  • Resistant to temperature extremes
  • Flexible enough to provide vibration and impact resistance
  • Range of open times that can be adjusted to suit your process
  • Low to no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
  • Bonds well to metals, glass, ceramics, wood and some plastics such as polystyrene and polyacrylic
  • Excellent candidates to help improve throughput and reduce processing time

See 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesives in action

  • PUR Adhesive Introduction Video
    PUR Adhesive Introduction Video (2:05)

    See how 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesives combine the speed of hot melt adhesives with the strength of structural adhesives to deliver fast, strong, secure bonds in a one-part formulation.

  • Video of Dos and Don’ts of PUR Adhesive Dispensing
    Dos and Don’ts of PUR Adhesive Dispensing (1:44)

    A 3M Senior Application Engineer provides tips for dispensing 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesives along with when and why they’re a good solution.

  • Video of 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesive Demonstration
    3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesive Demonstration (3:39)

    A 3M Senior Application Engineer demonstrates bonding with 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Adhesives in wood-to-wood, glass-to-plastic, plastic-to-metal and wood-to-metal applications.

Urethane Adhesives

Strong bonds that bend but don’t break

  • Two-part formulations that react when mixed and do not require moisture to cure
  • Relatively flexible when cured for excellent impact and vibration resistance
  • Bond well to most plastics, wood, concrete and rubber
  • Combines flexibility and the ability to form strong bonds to a variety of substrates
  • Bonds dissimilar materials
See 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy Adhesive in action
Anaerobic Adhesives

Protection against fluid migration

  • One-part adhesives that cure on active metal surfaces in the absence of oxygen in the bond line
  • Reduce maintenance and leakage to help keep factories running efficiently
  • Bonds dissimilar materials and provides insulation to resist corrosion when bonding two different metals
  • Strong bonds that resist both direct force and extended periods of vibration
  • NVH - stiff bonds resist vibration and reduce opportunities for loose parts to make unwanted noise
  • Pipe sealants inhibit leaks by preventing fluids from migrating along threaded fittings
Instant Adhesives

Apply, hold, done – it’s as easy as that

  • Instant adhesives are cyanoacrylates and cure very rapidly
  • One-part products that cure by reacting with moisture
  • Require very little clamping time
  • Reaches handling strength in a matter of seconds
  • Designed for processes with high strength requirements for a small bond area, tight-fitting joints, and a need for rapid curing
  • Different formulations are able to bond to many different materials including metals, leather, paper, elastomers, engineered plastics and some Low Surface Energy (LSE) plastics

5 Structural Adhesives Myths Disproved

Learn how you can breeze past industry myths and challenges, and which 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesives we recommend to use while doing it.

Myth #1

Myth #1: Structural Adhesives Don't Hold
Disproved: Consider the evidence

  • Cured 3M™ Epoxy Adhesives Have 2X-3X the Overlap Shear Strength of Spot Welds and Mechanical Fasteners
  • 3M Structural Adhesives enhance aesthetics as they do not require refinishing steps, or leave protrusions
  • Video of Beyond Strong Drop It Comparison
    Beyond Strong Drop It Comparison Video (1:09)

    We used different methods to bond metal panels together over hand-blown glass balls – then dropped a 15-pound weight to test the bond strength.

  • Video of Beyond Strong Container
    Beyond Strong Container Video (3:28)

    We used a 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesive to keep 14,550 pounds suspended through a Minnesota winter night.

Myth #2

Myth #2: Holding Pieces Together is All That Matters
Disproved: Proper Planning Can Improve Performance

  • A good bond requires looking at more than just parts and a joining method
  • Consider the entire process and operating conditions
  • Structural adhesives help you address production challenges such as:
    - Shortening the overall cycle time
    - Reducing levels of work in progress
    - Lowering the rate of reworked or scrapped parts
  • 3M Structural Adhesives provide an assembly solution that requires relatively little training and can be optimized for consistent results
  • Structural adhesives can also help you meet design challenges such as:
    - Lightweighting
    - Incorporating new or difficult-to-bond materials
    - Harsh end-use conditions such as heat, cold, humidity, or harsh chemical environments

Featured Products

  • Video of Dawson Doors Customer Testimonial
    Dawson Doors Testimonial - Eliminate Production Steps (2:11)

    Watch how a 3M Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesive helped a customer reduce labor hours by 50%.*

  • Video of MG McGrath Customer Testimonial
    MG McGrath Testimonial - Increase Speed and Throughput (2:43)
    Watch how 3M adhesives products helped a customer see 5x faster assembly than competitors.*
  • Video of AquaCal Customer Testimonial
    AquaCal Testimonial - Quadruple Total Output (2:43)

    Watch how 3M structural adhesives helped a customer dramatically increase output.*

*Results specific to each unique customer process and adhesive application. Individual results may vary.

Myth #3

Myth #3: “I Tried One so I’ve Tried Them All”
Disproved: Different Adhesives Offer Different Properties

Certain issues may have hindered your structural adhesives’ effectiveness:

  • Surface preparation
  • Dispensability or cure time
  • End-use issues such as a poor match between the properties of the adhesive and the mechanical properties (modulus, elongation, etc)
  • Environmental resistance

Because there are so many different structural adhesive chemistries and 3M has many options within each family, knowing the reason for failure can help guide the choice of a different solution. There are three main families of structural adhesives:

  • Acrylic: Build strength the fastest
  • Epoxy: Higher overall strength and superior environmental resistance
  • Polyurethane: Provide energy absorption and vibration damping

Processing characteristics such as shelf life, rate of strength build and the amount of surface preparation required can also affect how well a structural adhesive works for a given assembly.

Myth #4

Myth #4: All Structural Adhesives are Epoxies
Disproved: Not All Structural Adhesives are Made the Same

Depending on the materials you’re bonding, the assembly process and end-use conditions, a structural adhesive from a different family may be more appropriate. 3M offers 20 chemistries and numerous specific products across these families, and we can help find the right option for you.

Myth #5

Myth #5: “I’m On My Own to Figure This Out”
Disproved: 3M is Here to Help

We’ve been designing and innovating adhesives for decades and we’re happy to work with your team to find the best adhesives for your product and process.

Contact us to reap the benefits of:

  • single-line graphic illustration showing globe and person in front of it
    40+ Years and 75+ Global Adhesive Specialists
  • single-line illustration of safety glasses against grey background
    35+ Global Application Engineers
  • Single-line illustration showing beaker and test tube set against grey background
    3 Global Adhesive Solutions Labs

3M works with customers of all sizes, from small startups to large multi-national manufacturers and across a variety of industries. No design challenge is too specific or unique, so contact us today to start collaborating on your bonding needs and challenges.


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Frequently asked questions

Different customers often bring up similar questions when they work with our adhesive experts. Here are some of the most common ones.

VISIT FAQs

We're here to help.

Need help finding the right product for your project? Contact us if you need product, technical, or application advice, or want to collaborate with a 3M technical specialist. Give us a call at 1-800-425-3030 (Toll Free #).