How to glue Polyethylene (PE plastic)
Gluing Polyethylene (PE Plastic)
Polyethylene is a relatively soft type of plastic, used for example in garden furniture, shampoo bottles, toys, and much more. It is a material with high wear resistance and strong resistance to moisture and chemicals. Due to its low weight and soft structure, PE is relatively easy to process, while also being an inexpensive plastic material. For these reasons, PE is the most widely produced type of plastic in the world.
Gluing
For optimal adhesion, the items should always be cleaned before starting the gluing process.
Polyethylene can be a challenging material to glue because it has a very low surface tension. For glue to work as intended, it must have a lower surface tension than the material it is applied to. With a surface tension of only 31 mN/m, PE is a difficult material to work with, and it can be hard to achieve successful bonding. A glue specifically designed for this purpose is required. Here, a 2-component Permalock AC glue (acrylate adhesive) is recommended, which is specifically developed for this purpose and does not require any prior treatment of the item other than cleaning. In some rare cases, a faster curing time may be needed than what is achieved with polyolefin glue. This can be obtained using a good cyanoacrylate glue. However, it should be noted that a primer is necessary for the glue to adhere. Primer is a substance that temporarily changes the surface tension of a material, thereby increasing the glue's adhesive strength. Primer must be purchased separately. Alternatively, the surface tension can be increased through, for example, plasma or corona treatment.
A challenge worth mentioning regarding cyanoacrylate glue is its brittleness. It is considerably more brittle than polyolefin glue, which is why the latter is preferred for slightly flexible items. However, both types of glue have good resistance to a wide range of chemicals. Therefore, they can both be used for outdoor applications.
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