Laminating 1/4" Acrylic to Brushed Aluminum with 3M 5952 Tape

[nolanola]

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a project where I need to laminate 1/4" acrylic to 0.080" brushed aluminum using 3M MP467. After bonding, I’ll CNC the piece for final shaping.

Plan:

1. Clean both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Apply the 5952 tape evenly on the aluminum.
3. Press the acrylic firmly with a roller.
4. Let it cure before machining.

Anyone have tips for durability, adhesion, or CNC-ing laminated materials? I’d love any advice!

Thanks!

 

[Broome Signs]

hi
give both surfaces a light sand before cleaning
use 3m primer 94 to both surfaces, then apply tape
cnc face down

PB

 

[TEN]

What size is the parent material? What size is the finished peice? 5952 is a thick VHB. are you covering the entire surface between the substrates with adhesive? I would be inclined to use something thin such as MP468 or MP467 to marry the two sheets together so the foam does not show on the edges.

 

[bowtievega]

We do sort of the opposite of what you are doing as in applying thin aluminum to acrylic instead of the other way around. We use 3M 468. Definitely scuff or sand both sides of the material where the tape will end up, clean with alcohol and wipe until dry. We cut both pieces separately and apply at the end though. We have used some thicker tapes to assemble both pieces before cutting on specific projects but had some issues with tape residue and the cuts not being as clean as we wanted. Maybe because there is a little movement involved when you have a thicker, softer tape holding two pieces together.

 

[nolanola]

What size is the parent material? What size is the finished peice? 5952 is a thick VHB. are you covering the entire surface between the substrates with adhesive? I would be inclined to use something thin such as MP468 or MP467 to marry the two sheets together so the foam does not show on the edges.

You are right, i confused the tape with MP467. Thank you! I just corrected the original post.

The size of the design is 72" x 44".

 

[JBurton]

The size of the design is 72" x 44".

Hopefully you already have some of this on hand, I wouldn't order a 4' roll to do this, just 4 pieces of 1' roll. It should work great, especially if you allow the adhesion to build for a couple of days in a temp controlled environment. I'd probably CNC through the first .075" with mist, then go through the last touch of aluminum with no mist. Don't want to compromise the adhesive with any mist. Only issue I've seen is cleaning lubricant off the brushed faces, it's always good to have a film on while cutting, then remove and clean any residue before it sets. The only way I've found to clean brushed aluminum when it gets oil spots like this is with stainless steel appliance cleaner.

 

[Moze]

Do you have any long, narrow pieces in the project? Like rule lines or underscores, like these?:

If so, you may want to use solid aluminum for those pieces as they tend to warp if laminated.

 

[Johnny Best]

Glad to see you Moze, Merry Christmas!