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Engineered for Strength, Design Innovation and Multi-Material Assembly. Our Structural Adhesives provide the strength you need while enabling lightweight, high-performance designs and new production realities.
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The Strong Complement to Welding, Rivets and Mechanical Fasteners
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The better way to stronger production possibilities.
When you need advanced strength and durability along with the improved aesthetics of smooth, invisible bond lines, look to 3M? Scotch-Weld? Structural Adhesives. From kitchen appliances and sporting goods to automobiles and aerospace, our wide variety of structural adhesives includes options to meet your design and manufacturing needs. Whatever your design, engineering or production requirements, look to 3M for solutions.
Our broad product portfolio encompasses different chemistries, curing methods, open times and final bond capabilities, including low-odor and non-flammable versions of certain chemistries to meet specific regulatory and safety requirements. We also have a world-class team of experts who can work with you to address specific design or process needs such as lightweighting or productivity and answer the question: How can you make your product better?
Structural Adhesive Chemistries
Each adhesive is unique, but adhesive families tend to share certain characteristics for which they perform well. These are the key characteristics described in the chemistry families below – click the hotspots for a general description, then explore each chemistry to learn more.
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Acrylic Adhesives
These two-part adhesives offer great strength and design flexibility.
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Epoxy Adhesives
These adhesives provide excellent durability and resistance to environmental extremes.
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PUR Adhesives
These one-part products combine the speed of hot melt adhesives with the structural benefits of moisture-curing chemistries.
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Urethane Adhesives
These formulations are ideal for creating strong, flexible bonds between dissimilar materials.
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Anaerobic Adhesives
These products provide tight fits and seals in threadlocking, pipe sealing and related applications.
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Instant Adhesives
These products reach handling strength in 5-10 seconds and achieve extremely high tensile strengths.
Structural adhesives bond dissimilar materials and also provide insulation to resist corrosion when bonding two different metals
Structural adhesives bond dissimilar materials and also provide insulation to resist corrosion when bonding two different metals
Different chemistries provide a variety of surface preparation, open time and strength-build times so you can find the best options for your process
Different chemistries provide a variety of surface preparation, open time and strength-build times so you can find the best options for your process
Depending on the chemistry, structural adhesive bonds provide the strength or flexibility to resist shock, vibration and impact loads
Depending on the chemistry, structural adhesive bonds provide the strength or flexibility to resist shock, vibration and impact loads
Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials
Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials
Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials
Adhering to new materials and distributing stress along the entire bond area helps designers use thinner and lighter materials
Structural adhesives provide better product appearance through invisible joints and smooth bond lines
Structural adhesives provide better product appearance through invisible joints and smooth bond lines
Structural adhesives provide a continuous bond line to prevent the migration of fluids, dust and dirt
Structural adhesives provide a continuous bond line to prevent the migration of fluids, dust and dirt
Different chemistries offer different advantages for reducing unwanted noise: stiff bonds can resist vibration while flexible bonds can absorb and disperse these energies
Different chemistries offer different advantages for reducing unwanted noise: stiff bonds can resist vibration while flexible bonds can absorb and disperse these energies
Each chemistry has advantages, but all structural adhesives offer the strength you need without the weight you don’t so you can reduce or eliminate mechanical fasteners
Each chemistry has advantages, but all structural adhesives offer the strength you need without the weight you don’t so you can reduce or eliminate mechanical fasteners
Project IBIS
Gathering Data to Help Engineers Make Decisions
Skepticism is part of the job description: engineers need to see the data, and even our own engineers can be skeptical about the ability of structural adhesives to replace welding or mechanical fasteners. So they designed a test to see for themselves.
This docu-series created by 3M demonstrates collaboration, testing and problem-solving for our modern world.
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Structural Adhesives FAQs
We asked our Application Engineers to talk about some of the common questions they answer.
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Meet the Experts
Get to know the engineers and other experts who make 3M a problem-solving powerhouse.
Testimonial Videos: Customers Discuss How 3M Structural Adhesives Helped Them
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Quadruple Total Output (2:43)
AquaCal was struggling with a high failure rate as they produced their condensers. 3M? Scotch-Weld? Structural Plastic Adhesives 8010NS Blue helped quadruple total output.
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Increase Speed and Throughput (2:43)
Structural adhesives can deliver cost-effective speed. 3M? Scotch-Weld? Low Odor Acrylic Adhesive DP8805NS and 3M? VHB? Tape helped MG McGrath increase production speed and throughput for attaching structural panels.
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Eliminate Production Steps (2:11)
Who wouldn’t like to eliminate three production steps? 3M? Scotch-Weld? Low-Odor Acrylic Adhesive DP810NS helped Dawson Doors do just that.
Explore the broad range of 3M? Scotch-Weld? Structural Adhesive products designed to combine structural strength with other traits such as applicable substrates, application methods, open times and more.
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Appliances
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Aerospace
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- Available in UL94 or FST compliant options
- Strong, yet flexible bond lines
- Battery and crash box bonding (Learn more: PDF, 3.49 MB)
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Electronics
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- 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 (Learn more: PDF, 3.49 MB)
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HVAC
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- Floor panel and drain pan to frame
- Side wall panel attachment to frame
- Stiffener to panel
Key Chemistries:
Acrylic -
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Metalworking
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Plastic, Composite & Rubber
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Signage
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- One adhesive to bond all of your substrates
- Strong formulations and thin bond lines
- Weather resistance
- UL recognition
Key Chemistries:
Acrylic -
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Specialty Vehicle
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- Weight reduction
- High strength
- Vibration & fatigue resistance
- Battery bonding (Learn more: PDF, 3.49 MB)
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Sporting Goods
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Transportation
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- Metal skin to metal frame
- Composite cab assembly
- Frame assembly
- Floor panel bonding
- Exterior panel bonding
- Roof bonding
- Battery bonding (Learn more: PDF, 3.49 MB)
Key Chemistries:
Acrylic -
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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, or give us a call at 1-800-831-0658.
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, or give us a call at 1-800-831-0658.