The traditional ways of bonding metal to metal has been with fasteners, or by soldering. However, both these methods have disadvantages. More recently, advanced adhesives have been developed which are capable of replacing fasteners and creating a stable and strong bond for construction.
But why would you choose to use these adhesives over the traditional methods?
Advantages of metal bonding adhesive
These are just some of the advantages of using adhesive over the mechanical methods of joining two metal substrates:
• The join itself is invisible.
• They don’t add weight to the build.
• They can be used to join different types of metal, which have different melting points.
• It doesn’t cause discolouration, and there is no distortion. You won’t need to make good or repaint using adhesive.
• There is no need for drilling holes in the substrate, leaving the structure stronger.
• Stress is distributed equally over the join, rather than at one particular spot.
• The adhesive forms a seal as it bonds, which gives additional protection against rust.
• They can bond even irregularly shaped surfaces.
• They can be used to join surfaces which are sensitive to heat.
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These combine to make adhesives such as this environmentally friendly adhesive http://www.ct1ltd.com/product-applications/metal-to-metal-adhesive/ incredibly versatile. They can be used for applications such as adding metal letters or numbers to signage or installing metal light fixings to a metal roof.
More information on the applications of this adhesive can be found at https://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/16117/Selecting-the-Best-Adhesive-for-Metal-to-Metal-Bonding.aspx.
Precautions
Of course, these adhesives have their downsides too:
• The length of time needed to cure the adhesive (to fully set) can add to the duration of the project.
• Surfaces need to be properly prepared, which can add time and bring additional costs.
• Items joined this way are not easily disassembled.
When looking to create a project with a metal to metal bond, it is worth carefully considering whether you can use adhesives, particularly as modern types, which use nanotechnology, can create a far more secure bond than has previously been possible. Using adhesives is simple, and for projects that are intended to be in place for a long time, the only disadvantage may be the amount of time taken to use them.
One thing is certain, it is good to have another option when it comes to bonding metal to metal.