Hybond Helps: Solutions for bonding plastics with challenging low surface energy

Plastic bonding failures can be frustrating and costly. Whether you’re producing consumer goods, vehicle interiors, or food packaging – inconsistent or weak bonds can disrupt production, increase rework, and compromise product quality.

At Hybond, we specialise in helping manufacturers overcome the challenges of bonding hard-to-stick plastics. As UK based adhesive specialists, we offer reliable solutions to suit a wide range of processes and materials, you can learn more about us here.

WHY CAN PLASTIC BONDS FAIL?

Some plastics — like polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene, and vinyl — are notoriously difficult to bond. These are known as low surface energy plastics. That means adhesives tend to bead up on the surface, just like water on a waxed car bonnet.

For an adhesive to form a strong bond, it needs to spread out evenly; a process called wetting out. Low surface energy materials resist this, leading to weak, unreliable bonds. To achieve strong, lasting adhesion, we first need to solve the surface energy problem.

Assisting Hybond customers in achieving successful adhesive bonds for plastic materials is just one of the services we offer at Hybond, you can further explore Hybond services here.

WHO MIGHT THIS AFFECT?

Low surface energy plastics are found everywhere with some popular examples being:

✅Automotive interior components

✅Food and medical packaging

✅Consumer electronics and appliances

✅Retail display units

✅Industrial containers and liners

If your product uses these materials and you’re seeing bond failures, poor adhesion could be the root cause. The result? Rejected parts, rework, inefficiencies,  and unhappy customers.

HOW DO WE MEASURE SURFACE ENERGY?

Hybond uses Dyne testing to assess a surface’s readiness for bonding. This method measures how well a liquid wets-out across the surface, and is expressed in dynes/cm. Readings below 38 typically indicate poor adhesion potential, while higher values show that adhesives are more likely to wet out effectively and form strong bonds. Results help us select the right combination of surface treatment and adhesive to ensure durable performance.

Our Core Solutions:
⭐ Primers – Liquid pre-treatments that chemically modify surfaces to raise surface energy
⭐ Plasma Treatment – Ionised gas cleans and activates the surface at a molecular level
⭐ Tailored Adhesives – Engineered to bond effectively with modified plastic surfaces

WHAT ARE PRIMERS AND HOW DO THEY HELP?

Primers are a quick and effective way to prepare low energy plastics for bonding. Applied before adhesive, they chemically enhance the surface to improve adhesion.

Hybond offers a range of specialist primers tailored to materials like PP, PE, and polystyrene; helping your adhesives stick where others fail.

WHY CHOOSE PLASMA SURFACE TREATMENT?

Plasma treatment is a high-performance option that:

✅Cleans and activates the surface at a molecular level

✅Increases surface energy without solvents or abrasion

✅Integrates easily into automated lines

✅Delivers consistent results for scalable production

It’s an ideal solution when you need fast, clean, and repeatable surface activation — and Hybond can help you implement or improve this technology within your process.

ADHESIVE CHOICES

At Hybond, we pair surface treatments with expert adhesive selection to ensure optimal bonding. We often recommend polyurethane (PU) adhesives — including hot melts, single-part, and two-part liquid systems — as well as polyolefins, depending on the application.

Each solution is tailored to our customer’s process, delivering strong, reliable bonds even on hard-to-stick plastics.

As one of the leading industrial adhesives and glue manufacturers UK, we tailor each solution to each manufacture’s process to deliver strong, reliable bonds — even on low surface energy plastics. Explore our adhesives here.

OUR EXPERTISE IN ACTION

Hybond doesn’t just supply materials. We:

⭐Test and analyse your specific plastics and application

⭐Recommend the ideal combination of pre-treatment and adhesive

⭐Support integration into your production workflow

⭐Provide trial materials and hands-on technical assistance

⭐Work with you to increase bond strength, reduce waste, and improve performance.

Ready to Overcome Your Bonding Challenges?
If low surface energy plastics are causing issues in your production, we’re here to help.

Speak to Hybond today about tailored adhesives and surface treatments for your materials and processes.

CONTACT Hybond today and a member of our technical team will assist you with your enquiry.