Araldite^® adhesive proves tough enough for outdoor sign assembly

To reduce assembly time, industrial and corporate sign manufacturer SR Signs, Burnley, Lancashire, UK, is bonding sign frames and other components with methacrylate adhesive rather than welding or riveting joints.

After testing the handling, strength and environmental characteristics of a number of different adhesives, SR Signs selected Araldite^® 2021 adhesive for bonding its signs. The two-component, room-temperature curing methacrylate supplied by Huntsman Advanced Materials is tough enough to reliably join aluminum frameworks and projecting fascia to composite sheet, foam and acrylic flat panels as well as fabricated sign components.

According to Paul Davenport, project manager at SR Signs, "Araldite 2021 adhesive has made a big impact on our production process. We have been able to halve the time it takes to manufacture various types of signage due to minimal setup and preparation times. There is the added advantage of being able to bond dissimilar materials, which has contributed greatly to our freedom to design and build exactly what the customer is seeking."

Davenport reports that SR Signs has been particularly impressed with the ability of Araldite to fill gaps and cure fast, producing bonds that last even when exposed to temperature extremes and adverse weather conditions.

Huntsman's Araldite 2021 methacrylate has a handling strength of about eight minutes at room temperature and cures fully after 18 minutes. The cured adhesive has a lap shear strength of 3,200 psi and peel strength of 63 pli at 77

For more information about Araldite 2021 methacrylate, contact Maria Pate, Huntsman Advanced Materials Americas Inc., 5121 San Fernando Road West, Los Angeles, CA 90039, (818) 247-6210, E-mail: adhesives_group@huntsman.com , or visit http://www.araldite-adhesives.com .