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Adhesives and Sealants TopicsColumnsFinished Adhesives and Sealants

Ask Dr. Dave

What is the difference between thermoplastic and thermoset adhesives?

Thermoset and thermoplastic adhesives can be differentiated by whether or not they soften on heating.

By Dave Dunn Ph.D.
Dr. Dave
November 18, 2019

Adhesives can be classified in several ways, including their material origin (e.g., natural or synthetic) and their type of cure (e.g., physical curing such as drying or chemical curing). Terms such as thermoset, thermoplastic, structural, or non-structural are also used in the industry.

The term thermoset historically meant adhesives that cured or “set” on heating. The oldest type of this adhesive are the so-called PF, UF, and MF resins (phenol formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, and melamine formaldehyde, respectively), which are commonly used to make plywood and are cured using heat and pressure.

However, many thermoset adhesives cure at room temperature (e.g., two-part epoxies, moisture-curing polyurethanes, anaerobics, and reactive acrylics). What thermosetting really means today is that the polymer chains are chemically crosslinked and do not soften on heating after curing. This makes them very suitable for structural applications where they have to support loads and be resistant to both heat and fluids.

In contrast, thermoplastic adhesives like polyvinyl acetate (white glue), cyanoacrylate, or hot melts soften on heating. Their assembled bonds tend to “creep” over time when loaded. In general, thermoset adhesives have better thermal, fluid, and environmental resistance than thermoplastics. There may be some concerns in the future that thermoset adhesives are not easily removable or recyclable, and it might be desirable to make higher performance thermoplastic systems.


Any views or opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not represent those of ASI, its staff, Editorial Advisory Board or BNP Media.

KEYWORDS: acrylics adhesives in assembly bonding cyanoacrylates epoxies hot melts polyurethanes

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Dave dunn

Ask Dr. Dave is written by Dave Dunn, Ph.D., of F.L.D. Enterprises, a technical consultancy and full-service industrial market-research firm specializing in the adhesives, sealants, specialty rubbers and plastics fields. Dave is a former vice president and director of Loctite Corp. and has spent many years in troubleshooting adhesive and sealant problems. Questions for publication should be directed to him at 242 Trails End, Aurora OH 44202; phone (440) 477-5164; fax (330) 247-1690; or email DrDave242@windstream.net .

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