Use of PLA-Y-Glue
Welding instead of gluing!
Welding with PLA-Y-Glue operates on the principle of chemical welding. A solvent dissolves the surfaces to be welded, and after the solvent evaporates, the surfaces harden again. The surfaces that need to be welded bond better the better the fit is and the closer the surfaces are during the welding process. If the ambient temperature is high or there is a draft, it can happen that the solvent evaporates before the surfaces are welded together. With PLA-Y-Glue, localized leaks can be fixed by welding the surfaces.
a. The welding surfaces must be dry and free from contaminants.
b. The materials to be welded must consist of ABS, PLA, ASA, HIPS, PETG, or PCTG
c. The welding surfaces should have a very good fit with each other (this simplifies the welding process and increases the later hold)
d. Remove PLA-Y-Glue from the aluminum pouch and do not dispose of the aluminum pouch (reuse increases the shelf life of PLA-Y-Glue)
e. The work environment should be well-ventilated but not exposed to direct drafts.
a. For small welding points and a quick (fast) working method, it is sufficient to apply a few (one or two) drops of PLA-Y-Glue to welding areas of less than 2cm2 either pointwise or over a larger area. Otherwise, both surfaces must be thinly coated on opposite sides.
b. Quickly and firmly align and press the parts to be welded together (after the first 3 seconds, any shift will weaken the weld) – the better the fit, the better the weld
c. The area to be welded should be left in the intended position for at least 5 minutes to allow for initial bonding of the weld.
d. Curing and full load-bearing capacity of the weld is possible after 12h-24h (depending on ambient temperature and ventilation)
a. Be sure to transfer the PLA-Y-Glue bottle back into the aluminum bags, keeping it closed, and store it in a cool, dry place (not in the refrigerator)
b. If the welded joint does not hold, the area to be welded must be roughened again after about 30 minutes (using 200-grit sandpaper) and welded again as indicated above.
c. Residues of the welding agent can be removed just like the welded material itself. If necessary, the PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent can be used for chemical polishing.
Use of PLA-Y-Glue
Smoothing Agent
General Processing Instructions
The chemical polishing of surfaces works on the principle of dissolving the surface and controlling the drying process. A solvent dissolves the surface to be polished, and through gravity and the surface tension of the dissolved plastic, the surface becomes smooth. It should always be the goal that the surfaces are wetted by the PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent (not just simple immersion of the object to be smoothed). After the solvent evaporates, the surfaces harden again and remain in the smoothed state. If the ambient temperature is high or there is a draft, the smoothing process can lead to uneven results. The PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent cannot fix leaks in surfaces.
a. The objects to be smoothed must be measured dry and free from contaminants, and smaller plastic attachments should be removed.
b. The materials to be smoothed must be made of ABS, PLA, ASA, HIPS, PETG, or PCTG
c. The surfaces to be smoothed should not be absorbent or porous at all, as otherwise a lot of PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent will penetrate the object and uncontrollably dissolve it from the inside.
d. A screw-top jar with a metal lid and glass body (pickle jar, etc.) is ideal as a reaction vessel.
e. The PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent can be reused (residues in jars may discolor and thus leave a pigment haze on the object to be smoothed)
f. The work environment should be well-ventilated but not exposed to direct drafts.
g. A small amount (sufficient to wet all object surfaces) of the freshly shaken PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent (then slightly milky) is filled into the screw jar.
a. The jar with the portion of the PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent is shaken again.
b. The object to be polished is placed in the jar and sealed tightly (securely) again.
c. The jar is immediately shaken with the PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent to wet all object surfaces (5s-15s).
d. Then, the treated object is carefully removed from the jar with tweezers or gloves and placed on a non-stick surface to dry.
e. Depending on room temperature, air draft, and surface structure, the drying process can take up to 1 minute.
a. Be sure to tightly close the PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent bottle again and store it in a cool, dry place (not in the refrigerator).
b. Once the surface is completely dry, the object is no longer sticky and may have a slight smoothness that can be washed off with regular dish soap.
c. The degree of smoothing can be increased by reapplication; however, the object must be completely dry from the previous polishing in order to achieve a controlled smoothing.
d. Contaminants in the reaction vessel (screw cap jar) can be removed with tweezers or a sieve spoon. Contaminants on the object freshly taken from the reaction vessel can also be removed with tweezers as long as the surface has not yet dried.
e. You can reuse the remaining PLA-Y-Glue Smoothing Agent in the reaction vessel (screw jar) for subsequent objects, but you should not attempt to refill it into the original container (to avoid contamination and spillage).
Interesting Facts about PLA-Y-Glue
How does PLA-Y-Glue work?
PLA-Y-Glue can be applied in just a few simple steps with 3D printed parts.
Apply
To bond PLA, ABS, or ASA parts together, apply PLA-Y-Glue to both surfaces to be glued.
Combine
Join both parts as desired. Let the PLA-Y-Glue dry for 5 minutes.
Curing
After 24 hours, the adhesive is fully cured.
Editions
Find the correct edition for your requirements
ABS Edition
For components made of ABS, ASA, and PLA. The weld seam has the mechanical properties of ABS.
ASA Edition
For components made of ASA, ABS, and PLA. The weld seam has the mechanical properties of ASA.
PETG
For components made of PETG and PCTG. The weld seam has the mechanical properties of PETG.
HIPS
For components made of HIPS. The weld seam has the mechanical properties of HIPS.
Frequently Asked Questions
In this section, you can efficiently answer frequently asked questions.
No. In our tests, the glue did not have an odor.
A single bottle of PLA-Y-Glue contains 20ml of our adhesive for your 3D printed parts made from PLA, ABS, and ASA.
Contact us
Contact your customers to provide them with better service. You can modify the form fields to obtain more accurate information.