How to bond PVC with industrial adhesives

How to bond PVC

– To understand how to bond PVC we first need to understand what variety of PVC is at play.  PVC or polyvinyl chloride is available in many forms.  For adhesion purposes, we will loosely categorize PVC as:

  • Plasticized PVC = PVC
  • Rigid PVC = RPVC or uPVC (unplasticized PVC)
  • “Green” PVC

The surface energy of rigid PVC is 39 mJ/m², while the surface energy of plasticized PVC can be as low as 33 mJ/m². “Green” PVC are relatively new blends of PVC resulting from new chemical restrictions and recycling rules.  Some “Green” varieties can be quite difficult to bond with conventional adhesives.

Below are some guidelines on which chemistries work best on the different types.

Plasticized PVC = PVC is best bonded with either cyanoacrylates or UV Curable adhesives. There are various grades of cyanoacrylates available. Flexible grades such as 2050 and 731 are ideal for bonds in which the flexibility needs to be maintained. Medical grades are available for medical device applications requiring biocompatibility.

Many plastic bonding UV curable adhesives work well. One substrate must transmit UV light.  Flexible and medical grades of UV curable adhesives are also available.

Rigid PVC = RPVC or uPVC can be bonded with Cyanoacrylates and UV Curables. However, 2 component epoxy adhesive or structural acrylic adhesives also bond this type of PVC.
Ultra Fast Surface Insensity PVC bonder“Green” PVC = There are a variety of grades available – many require a surface insensitive cyanoacrylate such as Permabond 792to achieve a strong bond. For information on how to bond PVC in your application, please contact our technical support team.

Tips for surface preparation:

1. Providing the surface is clean, dry, and free from contamination, bond “As Received.”

2. If you wish to do a solvent wipe before bonding or for clean up afterward, use isopropanol or Permabond Cleaner A; acetone is too aggressive and can attack the plastic.

3. For highly plasticized PVC, consider testing the longevity of bond life due to the potential of plasticizers migrating into the bond area.

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