- Overview
- Products
- 3M™ VHB™ Tapes
- 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Adhesives
- Adhesive Transfer Tapes and Double Coated Tapes
- Spray Adhesives
- Reclosable Fasteners
- Foam Tapes
- Hot Melt Adhesives
- View All Products
- Applications
- Panel-to-Frame/Stiffener-to-Panel
- Small Joint Assembly
- Large Surface Lamination
- Mounting and Trim Attachment
- Gasket Attachment
- Sealing/Potting and Encapsulating
- View All Applications
- Design Challenges
- Resources
- Automated Manufacturing
- Bonding Automation Network
- Bonding Process Center
- Bonding Product Selector
- Learn About Bonding and Joining
- Science of Adhesion
- Structural Adhesives Resources
- View All Resources
- Support
Transform your composite and multi-material assembly process with 3M adhesives.
Adhesives for composite material applications
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Take your designs to the limit and beyond with 3M adhesives. With the ability to bond dissimilar (multi) materials, including aluminum and carbon fiber composites, you can use lighter and thinner materials for groundbreaking innovations in form and function.
Recent advances in multi-material adhesives have given manufacturers new assembly options beyond traditional mechanical and thermal assembly methods. Use these strong and durable adhesives on composite materials for maximum performance to optimize your design.
Find the right adhesive for your design.
Select the substrates you'd like to bond to find possible matches.
Composite bonding product solutions
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3M™ Hi-Tack Composite Spray Adhesive 71 is designed specifically to optimize the ultimate strength of composite parts. This product will protect your investment with a process that is faster and cleaner with a lower potential for rework. 3M™ Hi-tack Composite Spray Adhesive 71 allows you to get the job done right the first time and every time.
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Designed specifically for multi-material and composite assemblies, our 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Multi-Material Composite Urethane Adhesive DP6310NS delivers outstanding strength and performance. This adhesive has excellent energy absorption and fatigue properties for durable bonding of composite parts and multi-material assemblies, including plastics, metals and wood. With a 1:1 mix ratio, this green adhesive has a 10 minute open time and reaches handing strength in 45 minutes.
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With 3M™ VHB™ Tapes, you can maintain consistency from sketch to construction. These high-strength, double-sided acrylic foam tapes let you quickly and easily create a long-lasting bond that actually builds strength over time. With the ability to join a variety of materials including aluminum, steel, glass, plastics and painted and powder-coated surfaces, they provide resilient bonding solutions in just about anything you can dream up.
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Whether you need a high tack adhesive tape for foam, a tape that won’t curl in high humidity, or a high strength bonding agent for polyethylene and other low-surface-energy materials, 3M™ Adhesive Transfer Tapes have you covered. Available with removable liners and internal carriers, customize them to meet your exact specifications.
What to consider when choosing a structural adhesive.
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Your assembly requirements, end use and materials are all important factors in selecting the optimal joining and bonding solution. Consider these questions to help you select the best adhesive for your needs.
- What materials will be bonded?
- What kind of environment will it be used in (temperature, humidity, UV exposure, etc.)?
- What kind of force are the joints built for (shear, tension or compression)?
- Does it need to resist chemicals (motor oil, jet fuel, weak acids and bases)?
- Are there any mechanical challenges (impact, vibration, stress type and magnitude)?
Considering these key factors will help determine your adhesive options. Keep reading to learn more about 3M adhesives, or for fast, helpful advice, contact our technical specialists for additional information or call 1-800-362-3550 for assistance.
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Choose your multi-material adhesive
Selecting the optimal adhesive is important, and we have the resources to guide you through it. 3M has completed extensive field trials and testing and developed a selector chart that covers the majority of composite and multi-material applications. Flip through it and find your application and materials to make your selection.
Adhesive options to optimize your designs
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Epoxy adhesives generally have the highest strength and overall performance.
Feature focus: Best resistance to high temperatures, solvents and outdoor weathering.
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Two-part adhesives that provide excellent bond strength and durability, although slightly lower than epoxy adhesives.
Feature focus: Faster cure speed, high tolerance for oily or unprepared bonding surfaces, bonding with a wide variety of materials, including nearly all plastics.
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Two-part flexible adhesives with excellent impact resistance and good adhesion to most plastics.
Feature focus: Bonds well to woods, concrete and rubbers with reduced resistance to solvents and high temperatures.
Watch our Videos
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3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Multi-Material Composite Urethane Adhesive (2:09)
Demonstration Video: Many products involve the challenge of bonding multiple different materials or even brand new ones, from metals and composites to fiber-reinforced substrates. 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Multi-Material Composite Urethane Adhesives DP6310NS and DP6330NS can help take product design and performance to the next level, providing durability, process efficiency, load transfer and more with no bond read-through.
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Bonding and Joining Composites and Multi-Material Parts: The Structural Adhesive Advantage (1:00:41)
Webinar: Topics addressed in this webinar include an overview of multi-material assemblies and applications where they’re used, a discussion of mechanical fasteners and structural adhesives for joining these assemblies, an overview of structural adhesives, methods of surface preparation, factors to consider when designing with structural adhesives, bonding to thermoplastics and properties to consider for applying adhesives.
Applications
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Glass-filled Polypropylene
Permanent composite bonding for strength and aesthetics
3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Plastic Adhesive DP8010 Blue was used to bond ABS inserts to glass-filled polypropylene bumpers. It was the only solution that provided a permanent structural bond without pretreatment while maintaining the desired look.
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Thermoplastic Composites
Lightweight composite adhesive bonding for vehicle panels
3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Plastic Adhesive DP8010NS Blue is used in bonding interior trim panels to the aluminum frame. It provided the desired bonding strength for the lightweight interior panels that could also withstand driving force and provide structural support.
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Glass Reinforced Plastic
Flexible adhesive for vehicle manufacturing
A 3M polyurethane adhesive sealant was used to bond the glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) side panel to the coated steel frame of a commercial bus and coach. It was selected because it offered a high load capacity and could withstand vibrations and thermal expansion. This customer also used 3M™ VHB™ Acrylic Foam Tape with the adhesive sealant to speed up production.
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Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber composite bonding for drilling platforms
3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Toughened Epoxy Adhesive has been used to bond carbon fiber during the assembly of lightweight drilling platform equipment. 3M’s epoxy adhesive was used to secure bonded joints of carbon fiber and stainless steel. Field tests have shown resistance to dynamic loading, crude oil, hydrocarbon mud and fragments of rock mixture flowing at 80 to 100ºC.
With new structural adhesive options, you’re free to design with advanced and unique composite materials that set your products apart. 3M is here to help you navigate all the solutions available to help you make the right decision.
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Choosing & Using Structural Adhesives White PaperDownload (PDF, 839.15 KB)3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Product Selection GuideDownload (PDF, 2.61 MB)Composite Bonding BrochureDownload (PDF, 806.9 MB)Joining & Bonding of Composite Parts – the structural adhesives advantageClose
