UV-curing adhesives: fast-curing acrylic adhesives

UV adhesives from Permabond are single-component, solvent-free, photopolymerizable acrylic adhesives designed to cure "on demand" when exposed to ultraviolet light. Each UV adhesive in the range offers rapid setting, clean application, and the ability to create strong, durable bonds with excellent visual quality.
Upon UV exposure, these adhesives cure within seconds, forming flexible yet robust bonds that can withstand shock and vibration. They adhere effectively to a wide variety of substrates such as glass, metal, and plastics, making them ideal for use in electronics, medical devices, furniture, and decorative applications.
Every UV adhesive from Permabond combines exceptional optical clarity with strong mechanical properties, meeting the high standards of industries where both performance and aesthetics are key.
Samaro, official distributor of the Permabond brand, offers a comprehensive range of UV adhesives tailored to various industrial needs:

UV adhesive for plastics, ideal for difficult-to-bond substrates,
Dual cure UV adhesive (UV + heat or moisture) for shadowed areas,
General-purpose UV adhesives for fast, clean bonding in production or repair settings.

To help you select the most suitable UV adhesive, Samaro provides a downloadable selection guide below, along with recommendations for UV curing equipment (UV lamps, LED systems, etc.).

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Industrial UV-Curing Adhesives

UV-curing adhesives are one-component, solvent-free acrylic adhesives that cure on demand when exposed to ultraviolet light. This controlled curing mechanism offers a major advantage in industrial production: the adhesive remains stable until exposed to the appropriate light source, then cures within seconds to a few minutes depending on lamp power and bondline thickness.

Samaro distributes Permabond and Born2Bond™ by Bostik UV adhesive ranges, together with Uwave UV curing equipment, providing a complete solution from adhesive selection through to curing. colles-uv

What is a UV-curing adhesive?

A UV-curing adhesive, often simply referred to as a UV adhesive, is a one-component acrylic adhesive whose curing process is triggered by exposure to light at a suitable wavelength, typically 365 nm (UV-A) or 405 nm.

It cures within seconds to form a strong yet flexible bond capable of absorbing impact and vibration. UV adhesives can bond glass, metals, engineering plastics such as ABS, PMMA and PC, as well as composites, while providing excellent optical clarity after curing. colles-uv.

What are industrial UV adhesives used for?

UV adhesives are particularly suitable for applications where speed, cleanliness and bonding precision are key requirements.

Optics and glass: bonding lenses, prisms and instrument glass where optical clarity is important.
Electronics: bonding optical components, sensors, housings and cables. Controlled curing helps limit unwanted adhesive movement before curing.
Medical devices: assembly of glass and plastic components where clean bondlines and solvent-free processing are important.
Jewellery and decorative applications: bonding crystals, decorative glass and metals.
Automotive and aerospace: assembly of glazing, sensors and optoelectronic components.

In UV bonding, performance depends on both the adhesive and the curing system

When selecting a UV-curing adhesive, I do not look only at the materials to be bonded. The joint geometry, accessibility to light, production rate and curing system also need to be considered. Even the right adhesive formulation will not deliver the expected result if the wavelength, intensity or exposure time are not suitable. Our role is therefore to consider the entire process, from adhesive selection through to curing.

Thomas Brunet

Adhesives Brand Manager

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What are the advantages and limitations of UV-curing adhesives?

Advantages

On-demand curing
The adhesive only cures when exposed to the appropriate light source, allowing parts to be positioned or repositioned before curing is triggered.

Fast processing
Curing can take only a few seconds, which can help reduce production cycle times compared with adhesive technologies requiring longer cure periods.

Clean application
UV adhesives are solvent-free and can provide a clean, transparent bondline after curing. colles-uv

What are the limitations of UV adhesives?

The main limitation of UV curing is that the light must be able to reach the adhesive.

At least one substrate therefore generally needs to allow the relevant wavelength to reach the bondline. Areas that are not directly exposed to light, commonly referred to as shadow areas, will not cure with a conventional UV-only adhesive.

For these configurations, dual-cure formulations combining UV curing with heat or moisture curing can help ensure curing in areas that cannot be directly exposed.

UV-only adhesives are therefore not generally suitable when both substrates are completely opaque and prevent the curing light from reaching the adhesive. colles-uv

How should you choose a UV curing system?

The performance of a UV-curing adhesive depends not only on the adhesive itself, but also on the curing equipment.

Several parameters need to be considered:

wavelength, typically 365 nm or 405 nm;
lamp intensity;
distance between the lamp and the component;
exposure time.

Together, these parameters determine the energy received by the adhesive and influence the quality of the curing process.

Samaro distributes Uwave UV LED lamps and curing systems, from manual workstations to systems designed for integration into production lines. colles-uv.

Permabond, Born2Bond™ and Uwave solutions available from Samaro

Permabond UV: a range of one-component acrylic UV-curing adhesives, including low-viscosity grades such as Permabond UV605 and higher-viscosity grades such as Permabond UV649, for bonding glass, metals and engineering plastics. The range includes general-purpose, dual-cure and plastic-bonding formulations.
Born2Bond™ UV-Acrylic LC by Bostik: a transparent, high-performance UV adhesive compatible with a broad wavelength range from 365 to 405 nm. It uses Arkema Nanostrength® technology to provide improved impact resistance and elongation. Suitable for metals, glass, ABS and PMMA.
Uwave: UV LED lamps and curing systems operating at 365/405 nm, for manual workstations and integration into production lines. colles-uv

Discover our dedicated pages on cyanoacrylate adhesives, epoxy adhesives and Permabond adhesives for a broader selection of industrial bonding technologies.

You can also download the Samaro UV Adhesive Selection Guide from our website.

How do you choose an industrial UV adhesive?

The choice depends on the materials to be bonded, joint geometry, accessibility of the bondline to light and process requirements. The UV curing system must also be compatible with the selected adhesive. colles-uv

What materials can be bonded with a UV-curing adhesive?

UV-curing adhesives can bond glass, metals, engineering plastics such as ABS, PMMA and polycarbonate, as well as certain composites. The formulation should be selected according to the substrates and service conditions. colles-uv

How can shadow areas be managed in UV bonding?

An area that is not exposed to the curing light will not cure with a conventional UV-only adhesive. For these joint geometries, a dual-cure formulation combining UV with heat or moisture curing may be considered. colles-uv

Which lamp should be used to cure a UV adhesive?

The lamp must be compatible with the wavelength required by the adhesive, typically 365 nm or 405 nm. Lamp intensity, distance between the lamp and the component, and exposure time also influence the curing process. colles-uv

When should you choose a UV-curing adhesive rather than another bonding technology?

UV-curing adhesives are particularly suitable for assemblies requiring fast, controlled curing and a clean, transparent bondline. They are especially relevant when the curing light can reach the entire bonding area. For opaque assemblies or shadow areas, another adhesive technology or a dual-cure formulation may be more appropriate. colles-uv

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