Many generalized structural adhesives can’t stand up to the unique fabrication and construction challenges in the signage industry. Here’s how to make sure your adhesives are up to the task.

Signage and display projects are complex. Multiple materials, extreme working conditions and a need for seamless and precise bonds that can stand up to environmental and structural forces without breaking. 

Let’s face it – working in a specialized industry requires specialized products.It takes more than a generalized structural adhesive to succeed. To deliver great work on time and within budget in the signage industry, you need a structural adhesive that can perform. Here are the challenges that signage-specific, structural adhesives need to be able to overcome.

3 Biggest Challenges in the Signage Industry

Challenge #1 – Working Conditions

Signs are heavily exposed to the elements. Whether they’re hanging off a highrise or on the side of your local supermarket, they must be able to stand up to the demands of harsh weather and temperatures without any compromises in strength and durability.

The adhesive you choose to construct your sign plays a huge role in the overall integrity of the structure. You need a product that can stand up to a variety of environmental conditions. Bond strength is key here. Make sure you’re not skimping out on it.Also, find an adhesive that can withstand a wide range of temperatures without losing any of its strength. Make sure the high end is hotter than the hottest possible day and the low end colder than the coldest possible night.

Challenge #2 – Ease of Use

When it comes to fabricating signage, you want an adhesive that is working for you, not against you. Depending on the job, you may be applying adhesive to vertical surfaces, inside corners, or complex shapes. If you’re not using the right adhesive, you’re likely to find that the bead you just dispensed will eventually run down the working surface. This is called sag.

To solve this challenge, signage-specific structural adhesives are formulated to be sag resistant – meaning when you dispense a bead of adhesive on the vertical surface, that bead stays fully intact and does not slide down the surface.

If your adhesive bead sags before you join your surfaces, you risk ruining the strength of the bond and overall quality of your work. Make sure the adhesive you choose comes with a non-sag formula.

Also, you’ll want to find a product line that has a variety of work times. For most projects, you want a fast-curing adhesive to quickly bond your parts, so you can quickly sand or paint to speed up your production. For larger parts, you’ll need more cure time to dispense your adhesive and join your surfaces. 

Challenge #3 – Multiple Substrates

Modern signs are marvels of engineering. They can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. They can have a variety of electrical and visual components. You need an adhesive that can handle all the unique design aspects of each project. If you’re switching products every time you go to bond, you’re wasting valuable time.

Also, going back to bond strength. You’ll want to make sure that the adhesive you choose can bond a variety of substrates with bonding capabilities that can stand up to real world conditions. Many adhesives on the market do not perform that well on many of the common materials used in the industry. You need to find an all-around performer that performs well on aluminum, stainless steel, acrylic, polycarbonate, ABS, PVC and painted surfaces.

Introducing the Weld-On 30 Line of Adhesives

There are a few choices on the market that are great adhesives for the signage industry. But for performance, versatility, and price, the Weld-On 30 series of signage adhesives is a great choice.

The Weld-On 30 series adhesives are fast-curing, two-component acrylic adheisves that form high-strength bonds within minutes. They also have excellent corrosion and chemical resistance, gap-filling capabilities, in addition to excellent impact and fatigue resistance. 

Once cured, the adhesive can be put into service even in extreme temperature conditions, from -40º F (-40º C) to 180º F (82º C). Weld-On 30 has UL 746C approval for use in electrical equipment assemblies for indoor and outdoor signage applications.

Weld-On 30 Series offers multiple working times. Depending on working conditions and requirements of the project, you can choose from: 4 to 5 minutes (Weld-On 30); 13 to 17 minutes (Weld-On 31); and 35 to 45 minutes (Weld-On 32).

Conclusion – Shop the Weld-On 30 Line at Chemical Concepts

Chemical Concepts is proud to carry the Weld-On series line of signage adhesives. We know the challenges that sign fabricators face every day, and we believe that this line of adhesives can meet those challenges head on.

We have the full line in stock and ready to ship. And the best part is, the Weld-On cartridge fits the same guns as many popular adhesives on the market. If you’re looking for an affordable and in-stock performance upgrade, try the Weld-On series today.