Sticky business...

We are thinking about what type of epoxy to use to join our frame together. We need an epoxy that can adhere to wood, metal, and plastic and more importantly, can withstand temps of +40 to -60 degrees Centigrade. High structural loads will probably not be encountered as the whole system weighs under 2 lbs. Thermal shock, different rates of material expansion and contraction, tension, compression, shear, peel resistance-that's a lot to ask of an adhesive! The aerospace industry uses epoxies, so we emailed a supplier (Henkel Corporation) to see what they recommended. They got back to us overnight! Here's what Nicole from Henkel said:

Henkel Inquiry - Case #: 00106446 

"That sounds like a pretty cool project! For what you described, I would definitely go with something in our epoxy line. In general, our epoxies withstand -54 to 82 degrees C. They are excellent bonders to glass and metal and are very good on wood as well. The E-120HP (item #29353)  would be suitable, it has the longest open time of the high performance epoxies. The 120 in the name designates the amount of minutes you have to work with the product/ amount of time you have to put your parts into place. We also have E-60HP (item #29319) and E-20HP (item #29314) if you would like a shorter working time. For each of these products, full cure and maximum shear strength will be achieved after 24 hrs. To apply this epoxy you will need a manual dispenser (98472) and mixing nozzles (98455) as well."

Best of Luck,

Nicole Lavoie
Technical Information Representative
Henkel Adhesive Technologies - AG North America
One Henkel Way
Rocky Hill, CT USA