Characteristics of nonreactive synthetic glues
| Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) |
PolyVinyl Acetate (PVA) (white) |
PolyVinyl
Acetate (PVA) (yellow) |
Contact | Hot-melt |
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
| Applications | • ideal for bonding melamine-faced cabinet parts and for gluing cross-grain solid-wood assemblies where wood movement is likely; • can be coloured with dyes etc. |
| Availability/ using | • ready to use |
| Typical working time # | 10 to 15 min |
| Clamp time # | 1/2 to 2 hrs |
| Cured working properties | • soft and pliable; • can be worked with hand tools; machines well; sands moderately well; • reversible with water and/or heat; • compatible with some stains and finishes. |
| Cured properties | • acceptable strength but with little rigidity or creep resistance. |
| Longterm properties | • low resistance to heat and moisture; • fair resistance to acids and solvents; • fair shock resistance; • will gradually degrade if exposed to intense UV light. |
# depending on glue formula, moisture content of workpieces, working temperature, atmospheric humidity etc
PolyVinyl Acetate (PVA) (white)
| Applications | • low grade (craft or hobby glue); • edge- and face-gluing, bonding structural joints; • bonding plastic laminates etc; • can be coloured with dyes etc. |
| Availability/ using | • ready to use; • water can be added up to 5% to increase working time. |
| Typical working time # | 5 to 30 min |
| Clamp time # | 20 to 90 min |
| Cured working properties | • fairly soft and workable; • can be cut with hand tools, machines well but loads paper when sanded; • reversible with water for 2 to 6 weeks after curing; • resist stains and finishes |
| Cured properties | • adequate strength; • low rigidity and creep resistance; |
| Longterm properties | • low to moderate resistance to heat, moisture, acids and solvents and good shock resistance; • will gradually degrade if exposed to UV light. |
# depending on glue formula, moisture content of workpieces, working temperature, atmospheric humidity etc
PolyVinyl Acetate (PVA) (yellow)
| Applications | • high grade (professional/ industrial glue); • edge- and face-gluing, bonding structural joints; • bonding plastic laminates etc; • can be coloured with dyes etc. |
| Availability/ using | • ready to use; • water can be added up to 5% to increase working time. |
| Typical working time # | 5 to 30 min |
| Clamp time # | 20 to 90 min |
| Cured working properties | • cures hard; • can be cut with hand tools, machines well but loads paper when sanded; • can be softened or reactivated with heat up to several days after application; • not reversible with water after curing; • resist stains and finishes. |
| Cured properties | • greater strength, rigidity, creep resistance and durability than white PVA. |
| Longterm properties | • greater resistance to heat, moisture, acids and solvents and very good shock resistance; • will gradually degrade if exposed to UV light. |
# depending on glue formula, moisture content of workpieces, working temperature, atmospheric humidity etc
Contact
| Applications | • bonding plastic laminates; • decorative overlays; • other rigid sheet materials; • some modern water-based cements are fast drying and give high performance; • applying significant pressure to the work greatly increases the strength of the bond. |
| Availability/ using | • ready to use |
| Typical working time # | dry prior to assembly; open drying times: 10 to 20 min (water based), 2 to 15 min (solvent based), |
| Clamp time # | 1 to 5 min will increase bond strength |
| Cured working properties | • soft and elastic; • can be machined and sanded but will gum up cutting edges and sandpaper; • may be softened by solvents (may be affected by solvents in stains and finishes. |
| Cured properties | • initially very weak; • develops increased strength when pressed into thin layer; • no rigidity; • little or no creep resistance. |
| Longterm properties | • good to excellent heat resistance if pressed into thin layer; • poor to fair moisture resistance if subjected to prolonged exposure; • poor solvent resistance. |
# depending on glue formula, moisture content of workpieces, working temperature, atmospheric humidity etc
Hot-melt
| Applications | • hot-melt glues and guns are available with high, low or dual melt-point glue; • high-melt systems widely available/used; • low-melt systems are safer and less likely to harm the materials being glued; • hot melt is useful for edge-banding sheet material and for the rapid assembly of temporary fixtures. |
| Availability/ using | • supplied in solid sticks; • must be applied hot; • low-melt glue shouldn't be applied with a high-melt gun. |
| Typical working time # | 5 to 30 sec, longer if parts preheated |
| Clamp time # | No clamping needed; firmly press parts together as quickly as possible |
| Cured working properties | • soft and elastic; • can be cut with hand tools when hardened; • machines and sands adequately but can gum up cutting edges and sandpaper; • reversible with heat; • may be softened or dissolved by some stains and finishes. |
| Cured properties | • very low strength, unsuitable for permanent structural bonds; • increased strength if pressed into thin layer before it cools; • limited rigidity and creep resistance; • some gap-filling ability. |
| Longterm properties | • good moisture resistance; • no heat resistance; • poor solvent resistance; • poor to fair shock resistance; • will gradually degrade if exposed to UV light. |
# depending on glue formula, moisture content of workpieces, working temperature, atmospheric humidity etc
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