Structural adhesives have been around for over 70 years now, and have evolved since they were first introduced to help bond wood to aluminum in an English twin-engine fighter jet back in 1944. They have become the go-to choice for sign manufacturers, and there are a handful of reasons why. This blog will explore some advantages to using structural adhesives specifically in the sign industry, but these adhesives could also be used as an effective alternative for other projects you may use rivets, mechanical fasteners, welding, or other similar jointing methods.

1. Structural Adhesives offer the unique ability to bond different materials effectively. As with the English fighter jet that needed to bond wood to aluminum, you could bond a variety of diffe`rent materials to each other. These include common sign materials like aluminum and plastic, as well as brass, cold rolled steel, copper, fiberglass, foam, painted metals, stainless steel, and wood.
2. Structural adhesives allow you to save money. Other methods may require additional parts and in some instances more expensive materials to bond effectively. You can also use lighter materials since they aren’t susceptible to cracking or breaking when using adhesives. Sometimes you can run into this issue when using riveting, welding, or mechanical fasteners with thinner materials.
3. Structural adhesives weigh less. Since you won’t have extra parts, there isn’t any added weight. You also don’t have to fear breaking or cracking the materials, so you can choose to go with a lighter material. This even makes the project easier in application once you go to put the sign or channel lettering up.
4. Structural adhesives are part of the assemblies. This allows the sign to meet performance specifications after the adhesive is already added, which helps ensure structural integrity.
5. Structural adhesives are flexible. You can match difficult shapes like lettering with this type of bond. As you likely already know, welding or taping some shapes becomes quite a challenge or is not possible. This creates a more uniform and stronger bond around those tough corners or edges.
6. Structural adhesives can act as sealed joints. This can help block the penetration of water, which can help protect from corrosion and acts as an insulator.

Structural adhesives offer a variety of benefits in the sign manufacturing industry. We love recommending them for channel lettering projects, but their use extends far beyond these applications. If you have a specific project in mind and are wondering if structural adhesives would be a good fit for you feel free to get in contact with us through the number or email address at the top of the page. We look forward to talking with you!