Rubber Adhesives and sealants

The rubber adhesive sealants can be made of natural rubber or synthetic rubber. Rubber adhesives and sealants are made from various combinations of petroleum-derived plastic resins, synthetic rubber elastomers, and agents or additives which are used to enhance certain characteristics.

An adhesive is used to bond or fasten materials together and its strength depends on two things:

Another function of adhesive is Sealing.

There are various types of rubber sealants, some of which protect materials from water while others can protect them against corrosion and certain chemicals.

Natural rubber sealants can excellently join glass, paper, wood, plastic, rubber, steel, iron, ceramics, masonry, painted surfaces, plastics, and fabrics too. These types of rubber sealants can bind materials even in water and protects them from corrosion but they cannot withstand much weight or pressure. Therefore, natural rubber sealants are not advisable be used for such materials that require to be kept outdoors.

Silicone Rubber Sealant Silicone rubber sealants are the weatherproof, watertight and flexible rubber seals. Silicon seals can withstand very high temperatures as compared to the other types of rubber sealants. They also do not shrink and retain considerable elasticity for longer time. Silicon rubber sealants are preferred to be used for sealing glass items.

Caulk is a waterproof sealant which is generally used in building work and for repairs. There are many types of caulks available for home repair. These include silicone caulk, latex caulk, acrylic caulk, acrylic latex caulk, acrylic latex silicone caulk, and Butyl rubber caulk. Among all, butyl rubber sealant caulk is considered best for strongest bond, and is generally used to fill in cracks in bricks, concrete, and metal.

Rubber adhesives are made up of natural and synthetic rubbers. Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are mostly based on non-crosslinked rubber adhesives and are in a latex emulsion or solvent-borne form. Below are given the major types of rubber adhesives.

This consists of a rubber solution and bonding is attained by evaporation of the solvent. This type of adhesive and sealant is not suitable for adverse environments or for structures that need to withstand high loads. It performs well in water. However, it is not resistant to oils and solvents. Natural rubber adhesives and sealants are used to bind glass, wood, paper, plastic, fabric, rubber, iron or steel.

This type of adhesive or sealant offers strong, quick and permanent bonds and the joints are made by contact adhesion without the use of clamps or jigs. This is used to bind plastics, wood, leather and metal.

This type of rubber solution is used to bind rubber and plastics.

The adhesives have low permeability, inherent tackiness and aging resistance. This kind of adhesive and sealant is specifically used to repair the inner tubes of tires and to bind some plastics.

This adhesive is usable in the automotive industry because of the pressure sensitive variation. It binds all rubber products.

This is a adhesive or a sealant having two component adhesives. This type of adhesive is resistant to acids, alkalis, solvents and oils. A variety of materials including plastics, metals, polyurethane and glass could be joined using polyurethane adhesive.

It offers chemical resistance and flexible bonding. Materials like wood, ceramics, concrete, glass, aluminum and steel could be joined using this adhesive which is also used as a sealant.

It features high service temperature in the range of 300 degree C and low shear strength. This type of adhesive is best suited for sealing applications, glazing and for binding metals, glass and silicone.

There are certain specifications that a buyer should know before buying rubber sealants and adhesives: