Adhesives

Adhesives cover the general bonding jobs on a maintenance bench or production line — instant repairs, structural bonds, gap-filling and wear rebuilds — using cyanoacrylate, epoxy and urethane chemistries. AIMS Industrial stocks these from Loctite, Epirez, Devcon, Gorilla and Q-Bond. This is the general bonding-adhesives range: for flange-face sealing see our gasket sealants collection, for threaded pipe connections see thread sealants, and for fastener locking or shaft/bearing retention see threadlockers and retaining compounds — five distinct chemistry families, each suited to a different job.

Quick Reference — Adhesive Chemistry Families

The right adhesive comes down to substrate, joint design (close-fit vs gap-filling), required strength, cure speed and operating environment. Here's how the families in this range split out.

Cyanoacrylate (Instant) Adhesives

Cyanoacrylate — commonly called super glue — cures almost instantly on contact with the trace moisture present on most surfaces, making it the go-to for fast-fit maintenance repairs, small gasket fixes, and bonding rubber, metal and plastic components where clamping isn't practical. AIMS stocks the Loctite Prism range in standard viscosity for close-fitting parts (401, 416, 424, 435, 438, 454, 460, 480) plus gel formulations for vertical surfaces and porous materials (406 Prism Surface Insensitive, Super Glue Power Flex Gel). Gorilla and Q-Bond super glues cover lighter-duty and trade-repair-kit applications, with Q-Bond's reinforcing-powder kits adding gap-filling strength for cracked or broken parts.

Some surfaces — very smooth plastics, or acidic substrates like some woods and cured rubbers — don't have enough surface moisture or are too chemically inert for reliable cure. Loctite's activator and accelerator range (7387 Activator, 7452 Tak Pak Accelerator, SF 770 Polyolefin Primer, 7471 Primer T, 7649 Acrylic Primer) addresses this: primers condition low-energy plastics like polyolefins so cyanoacrylate will bond at all, while accelerators speed up cure on surfaces that would otherwise take too long.

Epoxy Adhesives

Two-part epoxies mix a resin and hardener to deliver high shear and tensile strength with good resistance to heat, chemicals and vibration — the choice for structural repairs and permanent bonding where a cyanoacrylate joint won't hold. AIMS stocks fast-set options for field repairs (Loctite 1162941 5-Minute Epoxy) alongside longer-cure, higher-strength systems for permanent assembly. Loctite 324 Speedbonder is a structural acrylic adhesive for demanding metal-to-metal bonds; Loctite 3463 Metal Magic Steel and 3471 Fixmaster Steel Putty are metal-filled epoxy sticks for building up, filling and repairing metal parts by hand; Loctite HY 4070 is a fast-curing hybrid adhesive for general repair work; and Loctite Nordbak Brushable Ceramic and PC 9593 wearing compound kits are ceramic-filled epoxies for surfaces exposed to abrasion. Devcon Plastic Steel Liquid is a pourable, steel-filled epoxy used for rebuilding worn or damaged metal components.

Epirez also supplies a large range of structural and construction-grade epoxy products — grouts, floor coatings, chocking compounds and concrete repair mortars — for machinery grouting, industrial flooring and civil/structural applications. That range is deep enough to have its own home: see epoxy & structural adhesives.

Urethane and Wear-Repair Compounds

Devcon's Flexane range (94 Liquid Urethane, 80 Liquid Urethane, Brushable Urethane) is a flexible polyurethane system used to line, coat and rebuild surfaces subject to abrasion, impact and vibration — chute linings, pump housings, conveyor components. Alongside it, Devcon's wear-compound range (Wear Guard High Impact, Wear Guard Fine Load, Megawear, Combo Wear, Ceramic Repair Putty) and the R-Flex Conveyor Belt Repair Kit are used for rebuilding worn metal surfaces and repairing conveyor belting in situ. These aren't general-purpose bonding adhesives — they're specialist repair and rebuild compounds — but they share the same epoxy/urethane chemistry base and sit in this range for that reason.

Choosing the Right Adhesive

The key factors are substrate type (metal, plastic, rubber, composite), joint design (close-fit vs gap-filling), required strength, cure speed and operating temperature. As a rough guide:

• Need an instant fix on a close-fitting joint? Cyanoacrylate (Loctite Prism, Gorilla, Q-Bond) — seconds to minutes, not for gap-filling.
• Need maximum strength or a gap-filling repair? Epoxy — mixed 2-part systems, from 5-minute field repairs to longer-cure structural bonds.
• Bonding low-energy plastics (polyolefins) or a slow-curing surface? Use a primer or activator alongside your cyanoacrylate or epoxy.
• Rebuilding a worn or abraded metal surface? Devcon's urethane and wear-compound range, not a standard bonding adhesive.
• Locking a fastener, retaining a bearing, sealing a flange or a threaded pipe? That's a threadlocker, retaining compound, gasket sealant or thread sealant respectively — see Companion Collections below.

Surface preparation makes the difference between a bond that holds and one that fails: clean and degrease the joint, and use an activator or primer where the substrate calls for it (see the primer and activator products above). Getting the chemistry family right for the substrate and job is the other half of the equation — our team can talk you through it before you order.

Companion Collections

The full bonding, sealing and locking picture at AIMS spans several focused ranges. This adhesives range covers cyanoacrylate, general-purpose epoxy and urethane/wear-repair chemistries; for other jobs, see:

• Gasket sealants — RTV silicone and anaerobic gasket eliminators for flat flange faces.
• Thread sealants — Loctite anaerobic sealants for threaded pipe and fitting connections.
• Threadlockers — securing bolts, studs and nuts against vibration loosening.
• Retaining compounds — locking bearings, bushes and sleeves onto shafts and into bores.
• Pipe sealants — pipe sealing cord and plastic-safe pipe sealant, alternatives to PTFE tape.
• Epoxy & structural adhesives — Epirez machinery grouting, floor coatings and concrete/structural repair compounds.
• Loctite, Epirez and Devcon — browse each brand's full range at AIMS.
• Adhesives, Sealants & Tapes — the complete parent range, including tapes and packaging adhesives.

Order from AIMS

Not sure which adhesive chemistry suits your substrate, strength and cure-time needs? Give our team a call on (02) 9773 0122, reach out through our contact us page, or request a quote for trade or volume pricing. We're a proudly Australian-owned industrial supplies business — Sydney-based with a support team in Manila — and we're happy to talk through the right adhesive for your job before you order.

People Also Ask

What's the difference between cyanoacrylate super glue and epoxy adhesive?

Cyanoacrylate cures almost instantly on contact with trace surface moisture, giving a fast bond on close-fitting joints but little gap-filling ability. Epoxy is a two-part system (resin plus hardener) that takes longer to cure — from around 5 minutes for fast-set formulations to several hours for standard systems — but delivers higher strength, better gap-filling, and greater resistance to heat and chemicals. Choose cyanoacrylate for a quick fix on a tight joint, epoxy where you need maximum strength or need to fill a gap.

Do I need a primer or activator for my cyanoacrylate adhesive to work?

Only for certain substrates. Standard cyanoacrylate cures on the trace moisture already present on most surfaces. Low-energy plastics such as polyolefins don't have enough surface energy for cyanoacrylate to bond reliably, so a primer (Loctite SF 770, 7471 Primer T, or 7649 Acrylic Primer) is needed first. On surfaces where cure is slow, an accelerator (Loctite 7452 Tak Pak) speeds it up. If you're unsure whether your substrate needs one, check the product's technical data sheet or ask our team.

What's the difference between this Adhesives range and Gasket Sealants or Thread Sealants?

Adhesives (this range) covers general bonding jobs — cyanoacrylate instant adhesives, epoxy and urethane repair compounds — for joining or rebuilding parts. Gasket sealants are a different anaerobic/RTV silicone chemistry that seals flat flange faces (engine covers, gearbox housings). Thread sealants are anaerobic products that seal threaded pipe and fitting connections against pressure. All three can be methacrylate or silicone-based, but they're formulated and rated for different jobs — use the range built for yours.

Can Devcon's wear compounds be used as a general bonding adhesive?

Not really — they're a specialist range. Devcon's Flexane urethanes and Wear Guard/Megawear compounds are formulated to rebuild and protect surfaces exposed to abrasion and impact (chute linings, pump housings, worn metal), not for general assembly bonding. For a standard structural or repair bond, use the epoxy or cyanoacrylate range instead.

What's the best adhesive for bonding metal to metal?

For a fast field repair, Loctite's 5-minute epoxy or a metal-filled epoxy stick (Loctite 3463 Metal Magic Steel, 3471 Fixmaster Steel Putty) works well and can be shaped by hand. For a higher-strength structural metal bond, Loctite 324 Speedbonder is a structural acrylic adhesive built for that job. Surface prep — clean, degreased metal — matters as much as the product choice.

Do I need to worry about shelf life or storage with these adhesives?

Yes — cyanoacrylate, epoxy and urethane products all have a shelf life, and cyanoacrylate in particular is sensitive to moisture and temperature once opened. Store in a cool, dry place, keep containers sealed between uses, and check the use-by date or batch code on the packaging before use on a critical job. If you're unsure about a specific product's storage requirements, check its technical data sheet or ask our team.