Material guide
Gluing Acrylic
Clear rigid sheet used for glazing, signage, display cases and picture frames.
Also called acrylic glass, Perspex, Plexiglas, plexiglass, PMMA.
How Acrylic behaves when you bond it
Acrylic solvent-welds into a joint that can be almost invisible, which is why it is the standard for display work. It also crazes: fine cracks appear when the wrong solvent vapour reaches a stressed surface, sometimes from an adhesive several centimetres away.
Acrylic/PMMA is a rigid transparent thermoplastic with a receptive surface but strong sensitivity to aggressive solvents and stress crazing. Solvent welding, reactive adhesive bonding and UV bonding are distinct processes with different appearance and gap limits.
Material properties
- Surface energy
- Medium
- Porosity
- Non-porous
- Rigidity
- Rigid
- Maximum service temperature
- 80C
- Normally needs abrading
- No
- Normally needs a primer
- No
- Solvent sensitive
- Yes. Solvent-based adhesives can craze or dissolve the surface.
- Recommended degreaser
- Isopropanol or Permabond Cleaner A (Permabond adhesive preparation for acrylic/PMMA; aggressive solvents such as acetone can attack the plastic.) Manufacturer verified
Surface preparation
Use clean, dry, stress-relieved material and lint-free handling. Permabond allows as-received bonding and recommends isopropanol or Cleaner A if wiping is needed, while warning that acetone can attack acrylic. Keep cyanoacrylate inside the joint to reduce fogging and test any solvent on an offcut.
Which adhesives work on Acrylic
Excellent
UV cure adhesive
UV cure adhesive is rated excellent for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Good
Structural acrylic
Structural acrylic is rated good for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Good
Two-part epoxy
Two-part epoxy is rated good for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Bonding Acrylic to something else
Acrylic to Glass
Acrylic to Glazed ceramic
Acrylic to MDF
Acrylic to Painted metal
Acrylic to Plywood
Acrylic to Acrylic
Acrylic to Aluminium
Acrylic to Mild steel
Acrylic to Stainless steel
Last reviewed 8 October 2026.