Is there any long term downside to using hot glue to secure components to a chassis?
I'm thinking mostly of capacitors that are a little too bulky to rely solely on a point-to-point connection.
I'm thinking mostly of capacitors that are a little too bulky to rely solely on a point-to-point connection.
Yes, it tends to melt at comparatively low temperatures and doesn't stick to metal well. For instance I've seen a stick of this glue melt in a car on a spring day (not even a hot summer day)... In a hot enclosure it could spread everywhere and make a dreadful mess. I suspect most hot-melt glue is not flame-retardent either.
Hot glue will work fine if you get heavy duty glue and key the surfaces to make it stick. Cyanoacrylate works better in a tube amp chassis (I've had the hot glue soften from the heat).
Easier to use cable tie or cable saddle
then you can use zip tie or ties to hold component.
zip tie makes for firm clamp also easy to
remove with no hot glue residue.
cable tie saddle comes in self adhesive tap
or also screw or rivet mounting
then you can use zip tie or ties to hold component.
zip tie makes for firm clamp also easy to
remove with no hot glue residue.
cable tie saddle comes in self adhesive tap
or also screw or rivet mounting
Both hot glue are too rigid, so easy to snap off since a knock concentrates on a small area, separates there, and then it continues.
Think glass which is harder than most metals but a hit makes it crack and then that spreads.
You need a slightly elastic adhesive, where applied force won´t concentrate catastrophically on one point but spread and be shared by all of the adhesive.
So best is some kind of Silicone , Silastic/RTV style, or my favourite: "elephant snoot" thick contact/neoprene cement, not used as a contact cement (both parts coated separately, left to partially dry and then pressed together) BUT as a "regular" solvent based adhesive: I draw a bead on chassis, maybe another on component, and put them together NOW, still fresh and fluid.
If necessary build it up with 2 extra beads, one on each side, increasing the glued area.
Takes at least overnight to rasonably dry, residue solvent keeps evaporating for days but best is that ll incorporate some polymerizing agent so in a year you will get crazy trying to separate them. Which is good.
I keep it in a squeeze bottle which fits inside a glass coffee bottle, because Toluene/Xylene solvent evaporates through plastic walls, so 9f you doný use it within, say, a Month, it becomesntoo thick to be usable.
Think glass which is harder than most metals but a hit makes it crack and then that spreads.
You need a slightly elastic adhesive, where applied force won´t concentrate catastrophically on one point but spread and be shared by all of the adhesive.
So best is some kind of Silicone , Silastic/RTV style, or my favourite: "elephant snoot" thick contact/neoprene cement, not used as a contact cement (both parts coated separately, left to partially dry and then pressed together) BUT as a "regular" solvent based adhesive: I draw a bead on chassis, maybe another on component, and put them together NOW, still fresh and fluid.
If necessary build it up with 2 extra beads, one on each side, increasing the glued area.
Takes at least overnight to rasonably dry, residue solvent keeps evaporating for days but best is that ll incorporate some polymerizing agent so in a year you will get crazy trying to separate them. Which is good.
I keep it in a squeeze bottle which fits inside a glass coffee bottle, because Toluene/Xylene solvent evaporates through plastic walls, so 9f you doný use it within, say, a Month, it becomesntoo thick to be usable.
I have seen those, but unless you use a fastener, you are relying on the adhesive, which may or may not hold over years. So, iw would use a fastener.
As a similar alternative, i've sourced the following, which others might also consider.
They're meant to be attached with a screw, which leaves a bolt on the outside of the chassis ..not the best. There is room for a 4-40 nut, so with a short screw on the outside, there is just enough clearance for a zip tie. Nice to have options.
If you have a tack welder, you could use these:
https://www.jhpfasteners.com/welding-fasteners/nuts/floating-cage#1
https://www.jhpfasteners.com/welding-fasteners/nuts/floating-cage#1
Using the so-called hot-glue is not used for structural attachments. Hot glue is used for components which are not self-heating, but can be prone to changing parameters via vibration, or create vibrations themselves. Electrolytic capacitors and choke coils immediately come to mind. You can see the stuff being used a lot in new gear that you've opened up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
Stock up on these babies, they come in all configurations and sizes..
https://www.surplussales.com/capacitors/capclmp.html
And a zip tie strap across the top locks a cap in place too.
And a zip tie strap across the top locks a cap in place too.
Last edited:
My experience is that hot glue is a very BAD idea for parts mounting. I tried it years ago and would never use it again. The components you think you've secured will pop loose if subjected to any stress, especially being transported in a vehicle. I would use non-corrosive RTV or even a glue like E6000. A little E6000 will mount things very securely. You can still get them off if you pull hard enough, but it won't pop loose.
It depends on the texture of what you're gluing and if you're gluing metal and don't use a super hot glue (or heat the metal) you'll get a crap bond. If it's two smooth surfaces, crap bond. I have glued a relay to a 65°C chassis and broke it trying to remove it. I've also had what you describe - a weak glue joint.
Leave the glue gun plugged in heating up for an hour or so, use the heavy duty 40W gun, not the one for crafts, and it can work fine.
Think 3M Hot Melt Adhesive 3764 AE Clear and not the crap you get at Dollarama 🙂
Leave the glue gun plugged in heating up for an hour or so, use the heavy duty 40W gun, not the one for crafts, and it can work fine.
Think 3M Hot Melt Adhesive 3764 AE Clear and not the crap you get at Dollarama 🙂
It’s all about the heat, hot glue becomes fluid at too low of a temperature to be relied upon. 3M makes heavy duty zip tie adhesive mounts like the ones shown earlier. Make sure you clean the surface with alcohol to get rid of all oils. Make sure your wires are not putting too much torque on the components. If done right they last but done wrong they will pop off. The tie downs with the center screw hole are good if you tap threads into whatever they are mounting to and use a bolt that doesn’t stick out the other side. You can also use JB Weld to stick them down but make sure some comes through the hole to physically grab the tie down as some plastic doesn’t hold glue well due to its oil content and the over lap of the epoxy holds it tight. In short it’s a pita the do right!
Agree, I’m more in favour of mechanical fixings. It might take a little longer to do, but the finished article will be better.
They glue cars together instead of welding these days... Just don't use cheap glue 🙂
That said, I wouldn't glue a shelf to the wall...
That said, I wouldn't glue a shelf to the wall...
More anecdotes. I glue my whitewater paddle blades to the shaft with hotmelt glue (a failure could potentially mean death in the middle of a grade 5 rapid). I glue my arrow points into the carbon shafts with hotmelt. I used to use JB weld, but it had poor impact resistance and broke. Hotmelt is much stronger than steel reinforced epoxy FOR THIS APPLICATION. All depends on how and where you use it. Hotmelt will also stick to almost anything, including most plastics if you heat up the surface to soften and maybe oxidise the plastic a bit with a quick wave of the blow torch.