What is the Best Glue for PLA 3D Printed Parts

[@fremandn]

Many thanks for mentioning the results first and staying focused throughout the video instead of making us skip around

[@imakeitwhynot]

Ok the fact the you put the spoiler at the beginning made me feel like now I should watch your entire video as a thank you lol

[@cyciumx]

This demolishes every other damn blog post, article and video I've seen and read and year on what to use. Should be in every 3D printer manual. Thanks!

[@edparker9837]

Well presented and very informative. I was looking for the best method to join prints I had to slice up because they were too big for the print bed. I feel more confident in what to use from this video.

[@stevejack3879]

Same

[@iwizsp]

Thank you for such a straight forward and informative video. This is exactly what I needed ; Real world application, consistencies of each glue and results. 👏🏼

[@mikesportsman1811]

Thank you for spending the time to do this. I think this probably saved a lot of time for the whole 3D printing community. Of one will have to decide which is best for their application on a case by case bases, but work work has definitely given a place to start. Again many thanks.

[@deadlymedley3306]

Great video really shows how it's not just the type of glue, but also the thickness of the material, flatness, smoothness, slice orientation which seems to affect bond and shear strength.. all appear to be important factors.

[@Atticman1369]

Thank you for the detailed testing on PLA. CA is what I had been using, I'm switching to weld on 16. I like the fact that it has a solvent and some plastic material that melts the pieces together just like PVC plumbing.

[@nelsonparra3797]

Thank you. Will definitely start using weld on 16. My biggest problem when gluing printed parts is thin edge to edge gluing. The small surface area is difficult for most glues to hold. Would have been good to see you try the thin pieces glued on the edges.

[@pheonixheart1125]

Have you had any luck with thin edge gluing?

[@Ziplock9000]

People swear by Gorilla glue but I find it one of the worse glues I've ever used. I can't reconcile those differences of opinion. It foams up like crazy out of the sides of the joint and is brittle.

[@jasonhowardak]

It is great for foam RC planes

[@bedsnatcher5934]

And you also have to clamp it, AND use an activator unlike contact cement or superglue

[@odst4336]

Not all Gorilla Glues foam.

[@colton5604]

Yeah specifically gorilla glue brand foams up

[@manapunk3085]

Same! I’m always blown away anyone recommends it. I’m a pretty big fan of ca and baking soda. Makes a plastic weld essentially and it’s instantaneous

[@alanshmahlen21]

CA "super" glue has been such a mixed experience for me. I always sand, so that's never a factor. It's just....brittle, for lack of a better way to put it. I've had pieces come apart with normal handling. The 5-min Loctite epoxy has always done well for me when I sand good and apply it with a brush. Admittedly, my epoxy glues are usually larger pieces, and sometimes I design them with dowels built in that also get epoxy on them. I still use super glue for small pieces for convenience, but I will def have to try the 16.

[@windmill10]

One of the great things about epoxy is that it does stick to almost anything except for plastic. When working with epoxy you csn make great use of that specific property. Regards from a boat builder :)

[@mishaberger1718]

Very interesting. Slightly off topic but what are your applications where that’s a useful property?

[@MKultrapdx]

Goop looks like a great glue to use for temp holds. Comes apart with a little work and little damage to part, then the leftover glue can be peeled off.

[@donaldkormos5529]

Thank you!!! Bought a PLA model train building to assemble and needed some gluing advice ... All the best ...

[@m33pr0r]

Really nice retest on the more solid objects. That's really interesting. Thank you for the diligence!

[@FlyingToad321]

Thank you for this great video, I was looking to glue some PLA parts together and needed to know this information. Straight to the point and very educational.

[@brettfafata3017]

Thanks a lot for doing this testing, it was very helpful!

[@squidcaps4308]

I use generic plastic glue specifically because it isn't that strong. Not all parts need strong bonds and sometimes it is useful to have a glue that you can pry apart. Just did that two days ago, had an assembly but i wanted to design&print one part of it again. It was easy to just put a knife in to the join and cut it apart. In that case the glue is strong than enough for holding but if need be, i can redo it again and again.

[@Enchanted3DPrints]

Guess ill just use the CA i have instead of rushing out to get something else. Thanks for this! youre the project farm of the pla gluing world :D

[@mishaberger1718]

Excellent test, very helpful. However, I disagree with two of the conclusions. 1. At 6:20 you can see the PLA pieces starting to peel apart, then break in the middle of the glued surface. At 6:26 the glue residue visible after, proving that it failed before the PLA did. 2. At 6:55 you can see the white PLA piece start to deform at the vertex, something we didn’t see with any of the other glues. Since we know that part of its adhesive strength is due to partially melting the PLA at the boundary, I wonder if it actually undermines itself in an application like this one by weakening the PLA itself. My takeaway from this video is to simply use CA for gluing PLA in most situations, with no need to sand the surfaces. If I’m worried about it setting before it dries, or I have a gap that CA is too thin to fill, and modifying the design to add more tabs that align and hold the pieces better while drying isn’t an option, then I’ll use epoxy. (And if I need to glue something quick and dirty and reversible I’ll use hot glue.)

[@SyntheticFuture]

Super glue it is 👀😁 Easy to obtain, easy to use, apparently strong enough to withstand any reasonable force 😎

[@ThatsPety]

Well thought out. Well done

[@Sillysillylittleman]

Thanks for this I have weld on 16 already so I will use that 👍

[@squidcaps4308]

So, you are in the Van Der Vaal force camp when it comes to adhesives... Me too, you can detect it when we talk about roughing: does one say "roughing helps to lock onto the surface" or "adhere to the surface"... Both "camps" of course think both are happening, you get mechanical locking AND Van Der Vaal's force, i think the latter is more important than the former and roughing expands surface area.

[@christopherkelly9153]

Thank you! I was minutes away from using epoxy for a large paint rack. It would have been a disaster.

[@BirchTreeReborn]

Thank you for performing this experiment! It was extremely helpful!

[@1968CudaGuy]

Used CA for adhering PLA exhaust rows on balsa wood P51D Mustang and Yak-3 RC planes prior to paint and detailing the planes. Did antennas and gun sights for the same planes. Have held up very good even with me flying them.

[@magiclarry7688]

I have used the cheap dollar store super glue which has worked extremely well for me.

[@RandomPerson-sb5mw]

Cost effective.

[@randomnumbers84269]

Super glue seems to be the way to go, at least since I couldn't find the number one anywhere near where I live.

[@randallsemrau6911]

Thanks for the comparison testing. If you want to make the testing scientific, place the test items in a vice, and apply a known force with any of the various spring guages which are readily available.

[@krowe33]

Best glue for PLA or any plastic is EMA Plastic Weld. It actually melts the plastic and welds it together. I have done extensive testing with a bunch of glues and the EMA Plastic Weld actually rips the printed pieces apart when you try to separate the pieces. Your tests were great, but the limiting factor was the strength of your parts since they were so thin. If you had used the blocks for all your tests, you would have seen very different results.

[@chrishayes5755]

can try dissolving PLA in acetone making a sludge and using that

[@leonardk8315]

​@@chrishayes5755You're thinking of ABS. PLA does not dissolve in acetone like ABS does.

[@Cam2Art]

Also had a problem with Gorilla and Goop, better results with CA, will try the acrylic 16 glue.

[@immortalsofar7977]

I use DCM, works great! BTW, Weld On 16 is mainly DCM but more expensive.

[@Velereonics]

I mean, literally any super glue will work just fine. PO is not that terrible and super glue works by melting things together. I've never had an issue with that

[@xConundrumx]

Best glue for PLA, don't know about glue but I doubt anything sticks two pieces of PLA together better than S-Polybond PMMA. It's solvent weld for Acrylic but works INSANELY well on PLA too. Do mind that it is solvent weld, it has the consistency of water and will not 'fill' gaps. It briefly dissolves the top PLA layer (so you can bridge small gaps during that stage and squish the 2 pieces together) and as it evaporates (which it does fast, seconds to a minute max) the PLA hardens again and is then chemically fused.

[@thomaswalker9277]

Great information! Will need to get some Weld16 for my Mando armor project I'm working on.

[@joeking433]

I heard the Weldon 4 is best, then Weldon 3, and then Weldon 16. #3 sets up in a few seconds, 4 sets up in less than a minute, and 16 sets up in 5 minutes. Weldon 3 and 4 are the consistency of water and don't work on for filling voids like 16 does which is much thicker.

[@robertdonnell8114]

Thanks Andrew! Good to know.

[@trumpatier]

This was really thorough and well organized. Thank you!

[@jgarmer]

did you try pvc pipe cement? or uv resin? joe

[@v4vinaceous]

A little bit of analysis... When you bend the two parts, one side expands and the other contracts, so the glue has to adapt to this situation. Epoxy cures very rigidly and that's why it peels off when you bend the pieces, it can't contract and expand on both sides of the glue. Because the superglue creates a very thin layer, it does not cause the same problem as the epoxy. Contact cement on the other hand, does not have this problem, even though the glue layer is thicker, it can contract and expand on both sides of the glue layer.

[@Bhrazz]

bang for the buck I'd go with Contact Cement

[@avataryellow]

I appreciated the spolier alert so much that I liked, subscribed, and am leaving this comment. I hope my engagement helps you so that you are able to continue producing such helpful content.

[@michaelthompson8251]

thanks. for cutting to the chase in your description. but also thanks for showing how the other products worked. sometimes different jobs require different types of glues. even if it is p l a bonded to p l a

[@devsiwon]

I found through experience that super glue breaks down the plastic polymers and makes it brittle. Almost looked like it in the video as well.

[@sparrowlt]

Plastic model cement workd by melting Polystyrene .. and not so totally melting it.. so it wont work well with different plastics or PLA

[@ooOnymphetOoo]

Such an admirable experimental procedure! Unfortunately, your affiliate link if broken. I got it off amazon still, thanks to your reference.

[@hdcakes2023]

Great video, exactly the info I was looking for!

[@donswords6671]

I was looking for a glue that would work best attaching parts with small surface areas as opposed to large, flat surfaces. Even have trouble with super glue not instantly bonding small parts. Guess I'll try weld-on.

[@starwaves1993]

Not a good test with thin strips because pla breaking off before glue nonetheless good general test at least you can see which glues definitely not to use at all. Would like to see a test which glue can binds instantly without waiting so long. I’ve been using super glue and it’s an instant bond. Super glue seems to like PLA allot and I like the instant bond and no waiting for figures and stuff like that. Also in the video contact cement works well because it tends to melt the two PLA parts together and hence fusing them. I think super glue does that too who knows.

[@NackDSP]

CA can make a white haze on parts when it cures and makes sort of a puff of what almost looks like smoke. I would like to avoid messing up the finish on a fine part. I'm wondering if it would make a good seal. The 16 glue makes a skin very quickly as it contains very volatile chemicals that evaporate quickly that it uses to melt the plastic. Contact cement looks good, but I have some difficulty getting a very smooth even application on both pieces as it also forms a skin very quickly. I wonder how well a silicone caulk or maybe a commonly available auto part store weather strip cement would work to bond PLA? Excellent video. Really helpful to see all these glues in action.

[@speedy3d524]

This was very helpful and I am going to get some CA glue.

[@Bioguy5]

In my case for constructing 3D printed models and statues, goop or model cement would be best since I may want to deconstruct the model in future. Using a stronger glue like superglue would make it very hard to disassemble prints without destroying them.

[@sailork3506]

Nice test. However, my experience with contact cement is no good for a long term solution. Also, CA glue has NOT glued my PLA prints at all. Might be more recent formulations of PLA, but it was NOT GOOD. I'm going to try Weldon 16.

[@LALA-dw2ez]

Wow!! You did that soooo well!! Thank you so much!!!

[@viber5509]

I've found that using a soldering iron is the best way to fuse parts together

[@robertravena]

How do you use a soldering iron to weld PLA parts together?

[@viber5509]

@@robertravena kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6GmknR3rb-Zg5Y

[@ThinkingNow]

Melt a puddle of filament in the center of one part, and quickly smash the other part onto it before it solidifies. I'm just imagining how it could work. Never tried it. Seems like it would require some skill, luck, or tolerance for imperfectly aligned parts.

[@stevesareyka8636]

From personal experience the only Gorilla glue i use is an All-Surface clear Max strength version. its in a caulk gun style application but its all around the best ive used. easily bought in the caulk and adhesion aisles of Home Depot. biggest downfall with gorilla polyurthane base is that it foams and ruins my prints, next to impossible to remove said foam as its tedious and required too much damaging chemicals to remove.

[@designworksdw1949]

Thx for the video the information is really helpful.

[@TMS5100]

It's the DCM in weld-on 16 that makes it fuse PLA and work so well.

[@antok86]

what is DCM?

[@patrickho5200]

Thanks for this!

[@cflhardcorekid]

Hell yeah, I needed this video.

[@spudnickuk]

Like you I have tried all of what you have used apart from Weld on 16, as cant get that in the UK, I use Tensol 12, It is a Methyl Methacrylate & Dichloromethane product Any chance you doing a compare of this against Weldon 16 for your viewers . Thank you for spending time and effort for people to understand what is good for Pla, Also Glue Ages and also becomes brittle after a while, specially super glue, Acrylic glue's are best for PLA, So don't waist money and nice models using the wrong glue's as they will fail to hold. as this had been a learning curve for me 3 years ago. and so knowledge of this will save you a lot of disasters. Oh also when making parts to join together, include male and female fixture tabs and slots, this will increase strength.

[@edwardyoung7851]

I used tensol 12 but it didnt work at all on pla?

[@TMS5100]

Weld-On 16 is Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) and Dichloromethane (DCM). The DCM is the PLA solvent so as long as Tensol 12 has it, it should work equally well.

[@gungagalunga7761]

I am an old school modeler. Used to the kits you bought in 1970's from 5 & dime stores and some Lead D&D... Never had the opportunity until a star wars nerd friend was having a significant birthday and I wanted to make something special. I bought a 3D model of Ashoka Tana in a typical "kick-ass mode" but typical model glues did not work.... Thank you Andrew for your research! Happy Birthday to my friend!!!

[@LaLaObeRoT]

Stabilit Express. With all its disadvantages it is mechanically the single best glue for PLA.

[@aquatalk6661]

Thank you for your work, very informative video!

[@defiantdesktop1083]

Why did Weld-On 16 score better than CA? Judging from the test, they performed the same. Is Weld-On 16 cheaper or more widely available than CA?

[@michaelcalibro5565]

Superglues make material brittle. I didn't hear that mentioned in the video. I found this out long time ago gluing other materials. Try to use a superglue on an old shoelace or other string - it will break. You can see the fumes whitened the area around the glued part - that is brittle as well.

[@PaganWizard]

You left out probably the best option on the market, 3D Gloop

[@Fuentes2722]

Interesting, I agree on your results, will follow channel!

[@davidcrawford6505]

Thanks. But I tried Loctite CA glue and it did not hold at all. I tried gluing two rigid solid surfaces similar to yours, but in cylindrical shape. I sanded both surfaces as well.

[@novaforge5832]

So I need to know which glue is firm but is not permanent, for two pla designs that will come apart later on.

[@wadewilson6098]

Great video, the community thanks you for this.

[@markburton5292]

ca glue is also brittle so it will suffer from impacts, not sure on contact cement for that as i haven't used it

[@tomtaylor135]

Devcon Plastic Welder . Try this. I have used this on thermoplastic and plexiglass.

[@StudentTrader]

Great testing! Thank you

[@amyslack9060]

Omg thank you for doing this!!!

[@xGeekMenace]

Hey man this helped me a lot thank you

[@spandexcladhero]

Late to the party but this video has helped me immensely. I've just printed a helmet in various parts and I was able to solder weld most of it but there are some parts that I cannot get the solder to to fuse the parts without ruining the print. Nice to know I can use contact cement and it will keep in place 🤟

[@genma986]

Acetone is supposed to be good to weld together PLA parts as well.

[@joelvarney5091]

This is very useful! Thank you!

[@briannamarin189]

I needed this thank you. Please do petg

[@jagtan13]

I have some experience with petg. - ca (superglue) - makes it brittle - epoxy (5minute) - is okay after giving the part teeth with 80 grit sandpaper, still very week connection though. -white glue (elmers) - i know does nothing. Petg is very chemical resistant and what is recommended to create the visor frames for the emergency face shields. I'd recommend to print as large of an assembly that is required or can be done and to mechanically secure them together. E.g. screws, nuts and bolts.

[@briannamarin189]

@@jagtan13 gotcha ! Thank youu. ! I appreciate that

[@Ni5ei]

Weld-on 16 is a brand specific glue while contact cement and CA are general glue formulas. Any idea if Weld-on 16 is a type of glue that's also being made by other brands?

[@lorandvass9536]

The weld on 16 affiliate link not working. Can you make another one I wanna support your work and I also need that glue 😅 :D

[@LazorzPewPew]

Great video! Thanks!

[@ColinWatters]

I've glued a lot of PLA and PETG. Superglue seems to work well on both but overuse has made me allergic. I'm currently tying Bison Plastic Glue which seems to work.

[@JacobDubs]

I have yet to see anyone review the glue that I use for PLA (from a recommendation from chemists) and I'm really curious to see your results. I currently use Loctite 401 purchased from Amazon. I'm not sure you can find it in stores. It adheres almost too fast and is extremely strong.

[@Daddyshark_dootdootdoo]

Wood burner & melt or “weld” the parts together

[@larrywalker2715]

Did You give any thought to testing what affect heat, cold or heat and cold might have on the different glues?

[@sailork3506]

In my tests, the CA (superglue) is useless, very spotty whether it will hold or not. Epoxy is great on big, rigid parts, not on small flexible ones. Gorilla useless. Contact cement is not a long term solution. OK for a temp glue. Looking to Weldon-16, and equivalent formulations. Got one called "same stuff". Took a really big pla print. It was about 6" long, a T'bar with the base 1" and the cross bar 1/5" (20mm and 10mm). Glue two of them together. Even the really strong T-bar broke before the same stuff let go. OTOH with a 4mm thick domino like Andrew used, but thicker and more rigid, with a slight texture on top, indicative of a PLA print, after 5 minutes, the glue didn't hold. Going to try the same domino after a couple hours. Tried it again and it didn't hold after 2 hours. Now trying to glue it over night and two very very smooth flat surfaces together. Incredibly expensive and very hard to get, but good under the right circumstances..

[@ScottPSilver]

Need to try JB Plastiweld

[@davidmonak114]

Which contact cement are you using?

[@robertravena]

Looks like he used Lepage heavy duty contact cement

[@anthonyulibarri3690]

REALLY HELPFUL VIDEO, THANKS FOR SHARING. I HAVE A QUESTION, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO GLUE ACRYLIC TO PVC?

[@andreyl2705]

thank you. very useful.

[@LifeWithTheBeckers]

Awesome man!!!

[@eventprogenitor1873]

Gotta remeber there is a differnt chemical reaction happening since your using PLA over say ABS, another factor to consider.

[@larkerpudwig]

Currently gluing some PLA together with flex glue, stay tuned

[@anurajms]

thank you

[@mynt4033]

What's your experience been with E-6000?

[@Mogu003]

I was about to buy gorilla glue (which is quite pricy in my country) But luckily I decided to look into other glues first. Great video. *However I cant seem to find Weld-On 16 where I am :/

[@gustavotobon7042]

Hi Andrew, loved the video. My question: does hot glue stick to pla printed molds. Thank you.

[@davidkay3784]

Tried that and no. It is too rubbery and just peals off. Works well on fabrics.

[@joeymane1542]

Thank you, sir.

[@crixiswrld8869]

Hello sir, can you give your suggestion on the type of glue that is suitable for connecting PLA to wood