There’s a bonding solution for just about every substrate combination, but some solutions may lead to expensive tradeoffs. Olefinic materials, for example, can be adhesively bonded but only if a primer or surface treatment figures into the equation, adding time and cost to the assembly process.

While tough-to-bond materials shouldn’t be avoided altogether, bonding options are greater when materials and adhesives are evaluated as a system early in the design process, when engineers dig deep into issues related to biocompatibility, sterilization resistance, bonding performance, and ease of assembly.

Answering three basic questions as part of this process will help aid in the selection of the best time- and cost-efficient adhesive for the job.