Industrial Epoxy Adhesives
Industrial epoxy adhesives are a benchmark solution for durable structural assemblies. High mechanical strength, excellent chemical resistance and compatibility with a wide variety of substrates make them suitable for demanding industrial environments.
Samaro distributes a selection of epoxy adhesives from recognised technical partners, including Huntsman with ARALDITE®, EPIBOND® and EPOCAST®, as well as PERMABOND®, to provide solutions suited to a wide range of industrial applications.
What is an industrial epoxy adhesive?
An epoxy adhesive is an epoxy resin-based system that forms a rigid, strong and durable bond once cured. The curing reaction is initiated by a hardener in two-component formulations or by heat in heat-curing systems.
The result is a structural bond capable of withstanding significant mechanical loads, including tensile, shear and flexural stresses, while offering resistance to many chemical agents such as oils, solvents and fuels.
Unlike conventional adhesives, an epoxy adhesive does more than simply hold two surfaces together. It creates a permanent bond and distributes stresses more evenly across the bonded area. This makes epoxy technology particularly suitable for industrial applications where long-term reliability is essential.
Why use an epoxy adhesive?
Epoxy adhesives offer significant advantages compared with mechanical joining methods such as screws and rivets or thermal processes such as welding.
High mechanical strength: depending on the product, two-component formulations can achieve shear strengths ranging from 20 to 50 MPa.
Epoxy adhesives also have certain constraints that must be considered during selection: curing times can vary, surface preparation has a major influence on performance, and the final rigidity of the bond may limit their suitability for assemblies exposed to severe vibration.
Selecting the right formulation for the application is therefore essential.
One-component or two-component epoxy adhesive: what is the difference?
Choosing between a one-component and a two-component formulation is often one of the first decisions when selecting an industrial epoxy adhesive. The two technologies correspond to very different production processes.
One-component epoxy adhesives
One-component epoxy adhesives are supplied in a single cartridge or tube. They cure through heat activation, typically in an oven, and are therefore suited to industrial processes that already include a curing stage.
Their main advantages include a long working life before heat activation, adjustable curing conditions, simplified dispensing and consistent application, making them particularly suitable for automated production lines.
Their main limitation is that they require heating equipment and generally do not cure at room temperature.
Two-component epoxy adhesives
Two-component epoxy adhesives consist of a resin and a hardener. They are the most widely used epoxy systems in industrial applications and generally cure at room temperature once the two components have been mixed, without requiring an external heat source.
Mix ratios vary depending on the formulation – 1:1, 2:1, 4:1 and others – and must be respected to achieve the expected mechanical properties and curing behaviour.
Among Samaro’s partners, Huntsman with ARALDITE®, EPIBOND® and EPOCAST®, together with PERMABOND®, offers a wide range of two-component epoxy adhesives, from general-purpose bonding to high-performance assemblies for demanding sectors such as aerospace, energy, transportation and composites.
What materials can be bonded with an epoxy adhesive?
One of the main advantages of epoxy adhesives is their ability to bond a wide variety of substrates. However, final performance remains highly dependent on appropriate surface preparation.
Metals
Metal bonding is one of the most common industrial applications for epoxy adhesives.
Steel, aluminium, stainless steel, copper and titanium can all be bonded with epoxy systems, provided the surfaces are properly degreased, abraded where required and free from oxidation.
For metal-to-metal assemblies, structural epoxy adhesives can replace or complement welding and riveting. Bonding distributes stresses across a larger surface area and avoids the localised stresses associated with mechanical fasteners, while also preventing the thermal deformation that can occur during welding.
Plastics and composites
Epoxy adhesives can provide good performance on engineering thermoplastics such as ABS, PC and rigid PVC, as well as on thermoset materials.
Low-surface-energy plastics such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), however, generally require prior surface activation, for example with a primer, plasma treatment or corona treatment, to achieve suitable adhesion.
Epoxy adhesives are also particularly well suited to composites such as GFRP, CFRP and Kevlar®-based materials. Their compatible chemical nature can promote strong chemical and mechanical bonding.
These assemblies are widely used in aerospace, wind energy and marine applications, where Huntsman’s EPIBOND® and EPOCAST® ranges are established solutions.
How to choose the right epoxy adhesive for your application
Selecting an industrial epoxy adhesive requires a combination of technical, process and regulatory criteria.
- Substrate type: metal, plastic, composite, glass or concrete. Chemical compatibility has a direct influence on final adhesion.
- Operating conditions: service temperature, humidity, chemical exposure, vibration and impact.
- Process requirements: required open time, curing speed and application method – manual application, cartridge, two-component dispensing gun or automated dispensing.
- Regulatory requirements: in regulated sectors such as transportation, defence or pressure equipment, the formulation and applicable regulatory requirements must be considered during selection.
- Required mechanical performance: shear, cleavage and tensile strength should be assessed against the relevant technical datasheets and the actual assembly design.
Epoxy solutions available from Samaro
Samaro selects and distributes industrial epoxy adhesives from recognised partners known for the quality and consistency of their formulations.
PERMABOND® offers a range of two-component epoxy adhesives for structural bonding on metals and composites. Discover the PERMABOND® range.
Huntsman / ARALDITE® covers both standard and high-performance applications, including new-generation formulations developed without intentionally added CMR substances and BPA-free solutions for applications where the HSE profile is an important selection criterion. The range includes products such as ARALDITE® 2012-1, 2013-2, 2015-2, 2020-1 and AV138 M-2. Discover the ARALDITE® range.
Huntsman / EPIBOND® & EPOCAST® provide high-performance epoxy solutions for aerospace and advanced composite applications, including systems associated with specific industry and OEM requirements. Discover EPIBOND® and EPOCAST®.
To refine your selection, you can also explore Samaro’s Adhesives & Sealants solutions and our article dedicated to the newgeneration of non-CMR ARALDITE® adhesives.
Our technical team can also help you identify the most appropriate products to evaluate for your application.
FAQ: frequently asked questions
For further guidance, explore our methacrylate adhesives, the PERMABOND® range and Huntsman’s ARALDITE® solutions. Samaro’s technical team is available to help you identify the solution best suited to your application.