Rubber-metal adhesive reliably connects two fundamentally different materials

One material is known for its flexibility, the other is more associated with rigidity: If you want to bond rubber and metal, you need the right adhesive. In our range you will find special rubber-metal adhesives that quickly, securely and permanently bond metal to metal, rubber to rubber, both to each other and to other materials. The right rubber-metal adhesive is also included for your area of application. Discover our products and start sticking!

Which adhesive is suitable for bonding rubber and metal?

First you have to be aware that rubber and metal are just generic terms for many different materials that have similar properties. Rubber is an industrially manufactured material that usually consists of caoutchouc. Depending on the type of rubber, different additives and production methods are used. Therefore rubber can be elastic, soft-hard or very hard. You must therefore select the right rubber-metal adhesive based on the respective strength and use of the bonded material.

Metal, too, can come in many different forms: iron, aluminum, steel, sheet metal, etc. It can also be bare or have a treated surface, such as being coated or painted. This is also crucial for the selection of the right adhesive for the metal-rubber connection.

Another factor - as with all adhesives - is the size of the surface to be bonded. Superglue (e.g. our cyanoacrylate adhesive), is suitable for small adhesive areas or strips, while a 2-component adhesive is recommended for larger areas of several square centimetres. Contact adhesives based on polychloropores (also known as chloropene rubber or CR) should be used for areas of several square meters.

Procedure for using adhesive for rubber and metal

When bonding metal and rubber, you need to pre-treat the affected surfaces. In order for the metal-rubber adhesive to hold, it is best to work with solvents, cleaning agents or other substances to remove residues as much as possible. If metals are coated or otherwise treated, you should ideally sand them. After that, further cleaning is necessary.

Since rubber can be damaged or otherwise weakened over its lifetime, it is difficult to predict in advance whether the bonding process will be successful. It is therefore best to test the rubber-metal adhesive on a small area in advance and evaluate the result after a few days. If the experiment was successful, the adhesive is suitable and can be used over the entire surface. The bond can then be processed further, because the right adhesive can be filed, drilled or milled after it has cured.

Incidentally, you can also use rubber-metal adhesive to fill cracks, bumps or holes, for example in aluminum housings.

Can you also glue other materials with rubber-metal adhesive?

Rubber-to-metal adhesives are not limited to this connection. The WEICON Fast Metal Minute Adhesive from our range can be used not only for metal and plastic, but also for fiber composite materials, ceramics, glass, stone or wood. The WEICON GMK 2410 based on polychloroprene adhesive connects rubber to rubber, rubber to metal as well as foam rubber, leather, felt, insulating materials, PE foam, wood and textiles.

Even if rubber-metal adhesives can be used very widely, there are still materials for which they are not suitable (e.g. PVC). Therefore, always observe the manufacturer's information before purchasing.