Glue For PLA+ and Others

Although I have been printing for a few years I have never had to glue any of the pieces together.

I have a copy of Chris's clock all printed and ready to be glued so I did a test on some similar material. I used Gorilla Instant gel glue and after sitting for 24hrs, the bits just fell apart. I tried some cheap, Dollar Store stuff but had the same result.

I lightly sanded the bits first, appied the glue, and put the pieces in a jig to sit in the proper position but it didn't help.

What do others use?



Tom

Hi Tom, I've had good results gluing PLA for several years , many many parts with cyanoacrylate glue (also called Super Glue, Crazy Glue etc.) The Zap brand available at some hobby shops and online from Amazon is the best I have found. Very strong bond with it on the eSun PLA + I like to use. The nozzle does not clog, the glue has long life after opening the bottle, and the cap doesn't get stuck on. I have tried the Bob Smith industries brand that my local hobby shop sells and it sticks PLA OK but has all three problems I mentioned the Zap glue does not have. Medium thick Zap is the type I use most, it gives a bit of parts positioning time and is less likely to glue you and the parts together like the thin stuff. Hope this helps. 

This is the stuff I used on my clock, works great on PLA and lots of other materials. I have used it to hold together some of my RC submarines  with printed hull sections. Grabs pretty quick, will fill small gaps.
https://www.amazon.com/Weld-Acrylic-Plastic-Cement-Tube/dp/B00R5NYM7M

Hi Tom,
I have used Gorilla and Loctite brands on PLA with good success.  I use several different brands of PLA , Sun, Inland and Creality but I can't remember which brand I glued.

Thank You for all the good information.

Cnr6400, I have use gallons of Zap over the years I was in RC glider competition. I haven't use it lately but I just checked with a real hobby store I will be at tomorrow and they have stock so I will add it to the list. I also mainly use Esun PLA+ but the odd roll of the Creality stuff creeps in as well.

I will also retry the Gorilla Brand I have and see if I did not do something I should have.

Chris, that looks like very good glue, but Amazon seems to be the only place to get it and I don't really want to by them a new truck. There must be a lot of import duty on it.

Thanks Again for all the replies,

The weld-on 16 is also available in Canada here (I dont know how much their shipping is)
https://goindustrial.com/products/ips-weld-on-16-acrylic-adhesive?srsltid=AfmBOoqq4SJNbXpWvZc_TxR2JzhNaowD2ztdIMUR4l_zum4q-0Hi2nxN

I have managed to get the Gorilla stuff to work but I will get some Zap tomorrow.

Chris, thanks for that link.  That store chain is in BC and Alberta, but in checking them out, I found that my 3d printer parts supplier in Calgary carries the glue. I am waiting for them to get a new supply of printers in and when I order one (free shipping) I will get a couple of tubes of that glue from them as well.

Quote from: wagnmkrI have managed to get the Gorilla stuff to work but I will get some Zap tomorrow.

Chris, thanks for that link.  That store chain is in BC and Alberta, but in checking them out, I found that my 3d printer parts supplier in Calgary carries the glue. I am waiting for them to get a new supply of printers in and when I order one (free shipping) I will get a couple of tubes of that glue from them as well.

Glad its all worked out!  One thing to note with the weld-on 16 glue - its thin enough that when dispensing it from the tube, its own weight will make it flow slowly out the nozzle. If you set the tube down on its side, it will keep oozing out till you put the cap back on. What I do is prop it up vertically, nozzle at the top, after dispensing and fitting parts, then put the cap back on. Good to wipe the nozzle before capping as well, like with most glues, to keep it from sticking the cap on.


Looking forward to seeing how the clock looks!

I like UV cure adhesives for their gap-filling properties, but also because you can apply them, and then adjust the fit "just so" before flashing them with a uv flashlight to set the adhesive.

Hot melt adhesives work ok too for larger bond lines.

Thanks for that info Bent. I have never used those glues so I will look into it.



Tom

I use JB Weld Super Weld and find it really good with a better window before sticking so can be re-adjusted if need be.

Weld-on #16 is the thicker stuff in a tube, if you are looking for for the thin stuff that will wick into the joint by capillary action you need Weld-on #4.  I used it when gluing the PLA parts of my RC Benchy together.  I even made a glue/filler by dissolving scraps of PLA into the Weld-on #4, worked well for filling small gaps in the glue joint. 

A word of caution though, if you don't REALLY crank the lids on tight that stuff will evaporate out of the container - DAMHIK.

Don

Thanks Don and Pete49. I will check out where I can find that up here.

I did get some Zap the other day but haven't found time to try it just yet.

I bought my Weld-on #4 on Ebay, but shipping to Canada would probably be a killer.  Weld-on's website says they have distributors in many countries.  You might try contacting them at weldon.com to see if there's anybody close to you.