Rubber based adhesives offer the highest adhesion and shear properties in comparison to acrylic or silicone. They are best used in ambient, indoor applications as rubber adhesives are susceptible to UV and elevated temperatures. Since rubber adhesives are very aggressive, they will work with a wide variety of substrates and satisfy most adhesion requirements.

Acrylic based adhesive systems are more versatile than rubber based systems and provide a host of attributes such as UV stability, higher temperature performance and good to excellent chemical resistence. While rubber based adhesives have a higher initial bond, the acylics go through a 24 hour cure cycle or “wet-out” period where over time, the bond continues to improve. Acylic systems are usually a little higher cost but offer longer life than rubber adhesives.

Silicone based adhesive systems are primarily used for application requiring very high temperature resistance or for applications where the adhesive will be bonding to a silicone filled material. These sysems typically do not possess high adhesion and would only be recommended for thin films where thermal expansion or shear will not not be an issue. Silicone adhesives are also high priced which may exclude them from competitive situations.