Some type of adhesive or grip will be required to hold your gasket in place.

Many different adhesives are available because there are a multitude of surfaces to which gaskets must be applied. It is important to select the right adhesive for the job and your Clean Seal® specialist can help suggest the correct adhesive method for your specific application.

For permanent applications, the 3M™ Heat Activated Tape System (HATS) is generally used. The acrylic and rubberbased PSA adhesives are normally used to hold the gasket in place before the gasket is more permanently attached by mechanical fasteners. Acrylic adhesives work best on painted or fiberglass surfaces while the rubber-based adhesives work better on aluminum, bare metal and stainless steel.

3M™ Heat Bonded Tape System
Heat isn’t required to attach the gasket to the substrate surface. Instead, Clean Seal® uses high tech heat-laminating equipment to thermally bond the tape to our extruded seal or gasket parts. This thermo process ensures a strong reliable bond of the tape to the gasket.

You simply peel off the liner and press the part into place. The part is easy to align and stays in place during application. You can securely attach gaskets to just about any surface without the expense or work of mechanical fasteners or messy contact adhesives. That’s the real benefit of 3M™ HATS.

NEW in 2002
A new 3M™ HATS with an even more aggressive bonding ability is being offered by Clean Seal®. The 3M™ Acrylic Plus Sealing Tape is especially designed for automotive and transportation applications allowing for superior adhesion to automotive paint surfaces.

Advantages of 3M™ Activated Tape Systems
• NO HEAT required
• Tight bond between tape and part
• Available for a variety of substrates and environments
• Saves time, labor costs, parts and tools
• Continuous seal helps protect against moisture, dust and dirt
• No drill holes or screws to cause stress points,
cracking or corrosion
• No rivets or heads to mar product appearance
• No solvents required
• Simplified application with easy-liner release

Rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesives
Rubber based adhesives are non-polar by nature and contain as many additives as our rubber compounds. They adhere well to non-polar substrates such as polyolefins, EPDM’s, and silicones. They do not bond well to polar substrates such as polyacrylates, polycarbonates, etc.

Rubber based adhesives have a high initial bond to the substrate.

Acrylic-based pressure-sensitive adhesives
Acrylic adhesives are polar in nature and tend to adhere well to polar substrates such as metals, glass, polyesters, polycarbonates and neoprenes. Because acrylics are thermoplastics by nature, they soften when exposed to heat and harden when cooled.

Acrylic adhesives are inherently soft at ambient temperatures permitting it to flow under light pressure allowing for intimate contact with the substrates. This ability to flow is important when bonding to irregular or rough surfaces.

For more information on any of these adhesives,
contact your Clean Seal representative.