Overview of surface treatments and how to choose the right one

In the production process, some errors often occur when bonding surfaces such as: joints do not achieve maximum bond strength, glue does not wet the surface, or the surface is corroded after bonding. Why is this problem happening?

If the error does not start from the quality of the adhesive material, another reason leads to the above phenomena is the surface that has not been carefully prepared, the adhesive is linked to the contaminant layer without directly linking to the surface, which leads to a poor connection.

Another reason is that adhesives need materials with higher surface energy in order to sufficiently wet out the surface. Wetting out is required to form a strong bond and refers to the adhesive seeping into the surface. When a material has low surface energy, the adhesive beads up rather than flows out. Unable to make intimate contact with the substrate, the adhesion level is reduced and bond failure is likely.

Besides, we all know that a rough surface provides more bonding area than a smooth one of the same gross dimensions. The greater effective surface area offers a larger area for the forces of adhesion to operate, thus providing a stronger joint. So surface preparation should be one of the most important factors to maximize adhesion. So what are the methods of surface preparation, what are their pros and cons? Prostech with many years of experience in the adhesive materials industry will give you the answer in this ebook.