The Next Generation of Acrylic Adhesives with 3M

As 3M continues to advance development across a wide variety of fields, several divisions have banded together to create the new 3M Scoth-Weld Low Odor Acrylic Adhesives line of products. Originally this material was implemented in the dental industry to create low odor dental impressions, but the developers at 3M quickly realized that an application to other industry and business could create huge improvements in productivity and performance.

Part of the effort to make these products environmentally friendly included a lower odor, since traditional acrylic adhesives can be quite pungent. With reduced worker irritation and fewer environmental health safety concerns related to odor, this characteristic alone was a big step in the right direction. Continuing with the theme of being environmentally friendly, 3M designers created an adhesive that is also non-flammable, is made of 100% solids, and contains a low amount of VOC's, or Volatile Organic Compounds.

This next generation line of acryclic adhesives wasn't just about the smell. Faster cure times make this adhesive almost twice as efficient as traditional acrylic adhesives. In about 8 minutes, the adhesives reaches almost 800 pounds per square inch of overlap shear strength, and by 11 minutes,  almost 1,500 pounds per square inch. Ordinary acrylic adhesives achieve the same strengths at about the 19 and 22 minute marks, respectively.

Additional testing has shown that these adhesives also offer 3 times the impact resistance of other competitors. The test was of aluminum overlap shear bond strength from side impacts at room temperature. 3M tested at over 22 joules of energy versus the competitors 8 or less.

The new adhesives are much easier to store, too. Normally acrylic adhesives have shorter shelf lives, and require refrigeration. The next generation of acrylic adhesives by 3M more than double the shelf life at 18 months, and can be stored at room temperatures.

Overall, this new line of acrylic adhesives really is a huge leap forward for 3M and the adhesive industry. Their new set of innovative products manage to provide outstanding performance, improved adhesion to many plastics and metals, higher temperature resistance, higher impact resistance, and cost savings through longer shelf lives, while maintaining an environmentally sound stance.

If you are interested in learning more about this new line of acryclic adhesives by 3M, take a look at this brochure about them, or contact your local Accu-Tech representative today!