Acrylic Cyanoacrylate Epoxy Spray Adhesives

An acrylic adhesive is a resin-based adhesive comprised of acrylic or methylacrylic polymers. They are extremely strong and efficient in bonding multiple objects together and are very environmentally resistant. Because of this environmental resistance, acrylic adhesives are often the preferred adhesive in the construction industry.

Acrylic adhesives are among the strongest adhesives available on the market today. This is largely due to two factors: their cohesion and adhesion. Cohesion is the measure of an adhesive’s ability to stick to itself, while adhesion is its ability to stick to other objects. Acrylic adhesives have among the best cohesion and adhesion in the industry – these factors are influenced by the adhesive’s cure time, cure temperature, and viscosity. Acrylic adhesives are high-viscosity, with longer cure times and higher cure temperatures.

In its simplest form, cyanoacrylate can be thought of as super glue — a quick-drying, strong-bonding clear adhesive. It takes the shape of a polymer (plastic) resin in its cured form and a monomer in its uncured form. You’ve likely come across the trademarked adhesive known as Super Glue, which you may not have realized is also, cyanoacrylate, it’s generic name.

However, there is far more to this adhesive than just super glue. The cyanoacrylate family of glues includes fast-drying, strong-bonding, one-part adhesives that have an industrial, household and even medical applications. The following questions and answers should hopefully tell you all you need to know about cyanoacrylate, uses, differences, techniques and more.

So what’s the big deal with epoxy adhesives, and how do you know what type will hold up in your system?

What Is an Epoxy Adhesive?
Sometimes epoxy adhesives are lumped in with other broader bonding products such as glue. However, below the surface, they’re much more complex than most adhesive types. Epoxy adhesives are sometimes called “structural adhesives” or “engineering adhesives.” These terms make their role clearer: They’re part of a class of high-performance adhesives meant for applications that call for powerful bonding—think aircraft, aerospace technology, automobiles, or heavy process piping systems.

Different Types of Epoxy Adhesives
There’s a multitude of specific epoxy adhesives, but in general, they can be split into two broad categories: one-component and two-component, or two-part, adhesives.

Here’s the difference between the two categories:

One-Component Adhesives
Single-component epoxy adhesives usually come as a single paste. However, the name can be a bit deceiving. Although they come as only one physical substance, they still usually require external elements to kick off the curing process. That means they need heat treatment, moisture, or special lighting to create bonding.

Two-Component Adhesives
Two-part epoxy adhesives require you to mix two separate elements. When they’re applied properly, the result is a powerful bond. However, because two-part adhesives require mixing, there’s the potential for human error.