Question: We want to bond steel to foamed polystyrene in large bond areas, and we want to use a cost-effective adhesive that doesn’t take long to dry. Is a hot melt the way to go?
Answer: Solvent-based contact cements, such as those based on chloroprene rubber, were traditionally used for this application, but many users are now reluctant to use them because of new emissions regulations, safety concerns or disposal issues. Water-based adhesives can be used, but they tend to cure slowly because of the difficulty of evaporating the water.