Which adhesive sticks to which material? – Decision-making guide for the adhesiveness of industrial substrates

What does liability depend on?

When bonding fails in industrial environments, the cause is rarely the adhesive tape itself. In practice, it is much more common for the substrate to fail — because it has not been understood, evaluated or prepared properly. The idea that "good adhesive tape = secure adhesion" is therefore too simplistic. The decisive factor is what needs to be bonded — not just what is used to bond it.

This is precisely where the flaw in the thinking behind many projects begins: The search for the "right adhesive tape" begins before the substrate has been classified. Without this assessment, any material decision is a shot in the dark — with risks of rejects, complaints and legal costs.

The 3 factors of adhesiveness

When bonding one material to another using adhesive tape or moulded adhesive tape, there are three factors to consider in order to ensure that the bond is successful.

If one of these factors is missing, the entire connection becomes unstable and can only be constructed using advanced methods. The factors that need to be taken into account are broken down below.

Material selection (substrate)

[Translate to Englisch:] Icon Substrat/Materialauswahl

The substrate determines the chemical and physical properties that influence adhesion:

Chemical composition (polar/non-polar)
Molecular structure (e.g. amorphous vs. semi-crystalline)
Thermal expansion, flexibility
Plasticiser content / additives / fillers

These factors affect the surface energy and thus the wettability of the adhesive.
The substrate therefore determines the basic nature of the adhesion – what is fundamentally possible or difficult.

Surface texture

[Translate to Englisch:] Icon Oberflächenstruktur

The actual outer layer of the substrate that comes into contact with the adhesive.

Even if the substrate is theoretically "good for bonding", the nature of the surface determines how well adhesion can actually be achieved.

Various factors can have a positive or negative effect on this.
For example, the surface of a material changes as soon as it is painted.
Other influencing factors can include:

Cleanliness (dust, oil, release agents, finger grease)
Roughness/topography (microscopic structure)
Moisture (water film or condensation)
Coatings (primers, paints, fluorinations, silicones)
Ageing/oxidation (rust, swelling)
Pre-treatments (corona, plasma, flame, primer)

Surface energy

[Translate to Englisch:] Icon Oberflächenenergie

The surface energy of a material describes how strongly a surface tends to interact with other substances (e.g. liquids, adhesives).
The higher the surface energy, the more "wettable" it is – meaning that an adhesive can spread more evenly and build up stable adhesion more easily.

Rule of thumb:
Only when the surface energy of the substrate is higher than the surface tension of the adhesive can the adhesive "flow" well. Accordingly, good wetting leads to strong adhesion.

In practice, this means:

With high-energy materials (from approx. 38 mN/m), the adhesive film "flows" well, resulting in a strong bond.
With low-energy materials (below approx. 37 mN/m), the adhesive tends to "bead up" = weak bond.

Material overview

Low energy

Material	Abkürzung	mN/m
Polytetrafluoroethylene	PTFE	18
Silicone	SI	24
Polyvinyl fluoride	PVF	25
Natural rubber	NR	25
Butyl rubber	BR	27
Polypropylene	PP	29
Polyethylene	PE	31
Polyester	PBT	32
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene	ABS	35
Polyamide	PA	<36
Polymethylmetacylat	PMMA	<36
Epoxy	EP	<36
Polyacetal	POM	<36
Polyvinyl alcohol	PVA	37

MEDIUM AND HIGH ENERGY

Material	Abbreviation	mN/m
Polystyrol	PS	38
PS-Phemoloxid	PSPO	38
Polychloroprene	CR	38
Polyvinylchlorid	PVC	39
Celluloseazatat	CA	39
Polyester	PET	41
Polyimide	PI	41
Phenolic resin	PF	42
Polyurethan	PUR	43
Polyethylenterephtalat	PETP	43
Polyamide 6.6	PA	43
Unbleached polyester	UP	43
Polycarbonat	PC	46
Polyphenylenoxid	PPO	47
Styrol Butadien Rubber	SBR	48
Polyethersulfon	PES	50
Lead	PB	450
Aluminium	AL	840
Copper	CU	1100
Iron	Fe	2030

Economic relevance

In development projects, a lot of time is often spent on selecting the adhesive – while the substrate remains unchanged. This focus is strategically wrong and causes hidden costs in three areas:

Rework & complaints = feasibility
Incorrectly bonded components must be
reworked or replaced – often only becoming
apparent late in the process.

Process uncertainty as a risk factor
A bond that only holds ‘under good
circumstances’is a cost risk
in series production.

Wrong decisions in material purchasing
If series materials are selected without
checking their bondability, expensive
changes are inevitable later on.

The technically correct sequence is therefore not – ‘Which adhesive is suitable for my component?’ but rather:

1. First classify the substrate

2. Select the adhesive system

3. Define the process

This sequence minimises project durations, validation loops and quality fluctuations.

Advice for your proceedings

Are you currently planning a project and want to rely on expertise and experience?
Then please feel free to contact us and we will support you throughout the entire planning process.

The process is already in place? – No problem either!
We are also happy to support existing projects and contribute as partners and problem solvers!

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What materials does adhesive tape stick to?