Providing enhanced adhesion for low surface energy materials

To assist manufacturers, address the rising demand for bonding low surface energy (LSE) materials, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, Intertronics presents SCIGRIP SG400LSE Methyl Methacrylate Adhesive (MMA). SG400LSE helps eradicate the necessity for costly and time-consuming surface preparation and is applicable across industries, including automotive, electronics, signage, and assembly, thanks to cross-bonding capabilities with plastics, metals, and composites.

The adhesive is a two-component 10:1 formulation tailored for bonding low surface energy plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene, other polyolefins, and thermoplastic elastomers to metals, FRP, and other plastics.

Manufacturers want to employ polypropylene (PP) in their designs, particularly in the automotive and transport industries. It is lightweight, cost-efficient, and impact resistant. It is popular because it combines performance, durability, and processability. PP is one of the most recyclable plastics, aligning manufacturers with their circular economy goals. However, it is difficult to bond due to an inherent low surface energy, usually requiring surface treatment for successful adhesion - and sometimes not bondable. Due to its excellent wetting properties, the new adhesive requires little to no surface preparation to bond polyolefins while still delivering resistance to harsh environments and mechanical stresses.

“Low surface energy materials are notoriously difficult to bond,” explained Ben Swanson, joint managing director at Intertronics. “The use of polypropylene, polyethylene, and various composites are on the rise and SG400LSE is specially designed to help bond these materials. It is versatile, able to create durable cross-bonds with plastics, metals, and composites. It is an important enabling technology, bringing enhanced design capability in fields like automotive, marine and transport.”

Available in pre-measured, side-by-side double syringe cartridges with static mixing nozzles for ease of use, SCIGRIP SG400LSE has fast cure time and high initial tack to enable efficient assembly processes, lowering production time and improving overall productivity.

The adhesive exhibits no sagging, maintaining stability even when applicated vertically, and boasts low exotherm properties, minimising heat generation during curing.