Mylar® is a type of polyester film or plastic sheet. Also known as BoPet or PET, it has extremely high tensile strength and flexible. When bonding Mylar, you must ensure that your adhesive agent has excellent tensile strength and is flexible. This makes Mylar an ideal choice for molecular bonding, as it has excellent tensile strength and is able to take of the characteristics of the material being bonded. Ergo, flexible materials stay flexible. Depending on what the Mylar is for, peel strength is a relevant concern as well. If you need excellent peel strength, than you will need a different adhesive. Tech-Bond offers excellent sheer and tensile strength and is flexible. Mylar can have a metallic appearance if it has gone through vacuum metallization. Vacuum metallization is a process that bonds aluminum particles to the polyester Mylar sheet. It is important that no matter what type of Mylar you are bonding, that you use the Bonding Poly Process (Process).
The Secret to our patented Polymer Bonding Process
What’s the secret of the Polymer Bonding Process? It’s the chemical and molecular reaction created when we combine:
- a polymer-enhanced, Surface Insensitive Structural Adhesive;
- our standard Activator/Accelerator, (the chemistry)
- the Poly Prep (chemistry again)
- Heat (the molecular reaction part of the process.)
Mylar has a low surface energy. Materials with low surface energy are extremely difficult to glue. Standard glues work in essence by being sticky and forming a superficial glue join on the surface. Low surface energy materials like Mylar are very slick and therefore stick resistant. This makes it hard to glue Mylar. Our molecular bonding process however, takes place beneath the surface and coheres the polymers and monomers of each surface, into a covalent bond. In technical terms, this process is called polymerization. One of the reasons our bonding process is so effective on poly’s, is that our system of bonding them, is similar to the system used to create them.
There are many advantages of Molecular Bonding and our Bonding Poly Process, the least of which is the ability to form a strong bond with the “impossible” materials, quickly and easily. With our SI or Surface Insensitive Structural Adhesives, in conjunction with the Process, we are not only able to bond Mylar to itself, but any other substrate as well. Wherever and whenever we state that we can bond Mylar®, the universal reaction is skepticism. Skeptics are the reason why we have a money-back guarantee. If any of our kits do not meet your performance expectations, we will refund your purchase price. Simply return the kit. So far, after having sold thousands of kits, we have not had to make a refund.
The steps for bonding Mylar® to itself or almost any other surface.
- Use sandpaper or steel wool to rough the Mylar® and/or other surfaces. Surface preparation is critical.
- Clean the surfaces with a cleaner that will not leave a residue.
- Wipe to remove all residue with a soft cloth.
- Saturate the Mylar® and all poly surfaces with our Poly Prep, an adhesion promoter for polymers. Let the Poly Prep dry.
- Spray one of the surfaces with our Activator/Accelerator (AA). Let the AA dry.
- Warm both the Mylar® and all other poly surfaces with a heat source. By touch, you want the Mylar®/poly surface to just below hot. By temperature, about 120 degrees F.
- Apply an SI Structural Adhesive to the opposite surface from where you sprayed the AA. Make sure that the SI adhesive reaches the edges of the join.
- Very firmly Firmly press the two surfaces together for at least 15 seconds.
- Apply a bead of the SI Structural Adhesive to the seam between the surfaces.
- Spray the seam with the Activator/Accelerator.
As a result of this process, the two Mylar surfaces will be bonded. Operational strength is achieved almost immediately. Full strength can take as long as a month.
NOTE: The video below, illustrates how to bond Teflon. Each substrate will soon have each its own video, but for now know that the steps for bonding Teflon, are identical to the steps for bonding Mylar.
To bond Mylar® to aluminum or to any other metal
- Rough the surface of Mylar® with sandpaper or steel wool.
- Sand the steel, aluminum or other metal first with a coarse grade of sand paper then with a 400 or 600 grit paper.
- Clean all surfaces with a cleaner that will not leave a residue.
- Wipe with a clean soft cloth.
- Saturate the Mylar® surface with our Poly Prep, an adhesion promoter for polymers.
- Spray a solvent based Activator/Accelerator (AA) on either the Delrin® or metal.
- Warm the Mylar® surface with a hair dryer or heat gun. By touch, you want the Mylar® to be just below hot. By temperature, about 120 degrees F.
- Apply an SI Structural Adhesive to the opposite surface from where the AA was sprayed.
- Firmly press the two surfaces together for a minimum of fifteen seconds.
As a result of this process, the Mylar® and metal surface will be bonded. Operational strength is within a short time frame. Full strength may take up to a month.
Save 15% With Tech-Bond Kits
Any of our Poly, Deluxe or Professional Kits will bond Mylar® to itself and any other substrate; except stainless steel and glass.
*If you have any questions, feel free to call 877-565-7225.