When it comes to bonding things together, there are many types of glue and adhesives available in different forms, however, the two commonly employed adhesives are Epoxy glue and Resin glue.
Epoxy vs Resin
The difference between Epoxy and Resin is that epoxy is a petroleum-based glue and is one of the strongest adhesives used in the construction industry. It is a solvent-free and water, chemical, and heat resistant adhesive and is known for its strong bonds and shorter drying time.
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The epoxy glue is an adhesive based on petroleum which is solvent free and is resistant to water and chemicals, it remains unaffected by the heat conditions. It is known for its strong bonding and quick drying property.
On the other hand, resin glue is a solvent based adhesive which is obtained as the final product by mixing raw epoxy resin, solvent, catalyst and hardening agents. It provides a strong bond but that bond weaker than the bond of the epoxy glue.
While resin refers to the final product or glue made by mixing epoxy resin which is the raw material, a solvent, and a hardening agent. Resin glue comes in two forms, namely, powder and liquid, but it takes around 8 to 10 hours to dry or cure.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Epoxy | Resin |
|---|---|---|
| Basic definition | Epoxy is a solvent-free, water and chemical resistant adhesive well known for its bonding quality. Epoxy remains intact in conditions of heat. | Resin glue is a final product and a mixture of epoxy resin, solvent, catalyst and a hardening agent |
| Drying time | One of the most important advantages of epoxy glue is its drying time. It takes only about six to thirty minutes to dry, thus, is more used in cases where an instant bonding is required. | The drying time of resin glue is one of its drawbacks. It takes about eight to ten hours to dry. |
| Strength of the bond | Epoxy is best known for its bonding quality, an epoxy bond has the capability to hold up to two thousand lbs per square inch. | Resin is also known for its strong bond but it has less strength as compared to the epoxy bond. The bond of the resin glue can hold less than five hundred lbs per square inch. |
| Used in | Epoxy is widely used in the infrastructure industry, shipbuilding industry, aircrafts industry, etc. It is also used in bonding metals, plastics, woods, etc, where an instant bond is required for the assembly. | Resin due to its cost-effectiveness is used in the construction industry where they have enough time to let it dry, it is an ideal adhesive for wood bondings, where there is no requirement of instant assembly. |
| Cost | Epoxy adhesive is, however, costlier than resin glue. | Resin is more used in various industries because of its low cost. |
What is Epoxy?
Epoxy glue is an adhesive based on petroleum products. It does not contain any solvent and is also moisture and chemical resistant.
Epoxy remains intact in case of conditions of heat. It has a suffocating odor, therefore, it is advised to apply it in properly ventilated areas.
The major advantage of the epoxy glue is its drying time. It takes only about six to thirty minutes to dry, thus, it is more used in areas where instant bonding is required.
It provides the strongest bond, the bond has the strength to hold up to 2000 lbs per square inch. It has a longer shelf life and can remain as it is for several years.
It is costlier than other adhesives.
Epoxy is widely used in the infrastructure industry, automobiles industry, shipbuilding industry, aircrafts industry. It can also be used for the bonding of metals, plastic and wooden products.
What is Resin?
Resin is a glue that is obtained as the final product after mixing raw epoxy resin, a solvent, catalyst and hardening agent. The odor of the resin glue is pleasant.
It is available in the market as liquid and powder. The drawback of resin glue is its drying time.
It takes about 8 to 10 hours to dry. However, more the atmospheric temperature, the earlier it dries.
The bond of resin glue is weaker than that of the epoxy glue and can hold only up to 500 lbs per square inch. It is cheaper than epoxy glue.
Resin glue is more used in areas where there is enough time to let it dry. It is used in the construction industry.
It is more suitable for bonding wooden products.
Main Differences Between Epoxy and Resin
- Epoxy is an adhesive based on petroleum products and is water and chemical resistant while the resin is an adhesive made by mixing raw epoxy resin, solvent and hardening agent.
- Epoxy has a bod odor while resin glue has a pleasant smell.
- Epoxy adhesive is solvent free while resin adhesive contains a solvent.
- Epoxy glue is known for its quick drying property whereas resin glue takes a long time to dry.
- Epoxy takes only about six to thirty minutes to dry, on the other hand, resin glue takes eight to ten hours for drying.
- Epoxy glue tends to harden much faster than resin glue.
- Epoxy is used in areas that require an instant assembly while the resin is used where there is no requirement for the instant assembly.
- When it comes to bonding both the adhesives are strong, however, epoxy is much stronger as compared to the resin glue.
- The bond of the epoxy glue has the strength to hold up to 2000 lbs per square inch while the bond of resin glue has the strength to hold a maximum of 500 lbs per square inch.
- Epoxy being the strongest adhesive is expensive, on the other hand, resin glue is much cheaper than epoxy glue.
- Epoxy glue is resistant to wearing, corrosion, damage while resin glue is fragile and more suitable for low strain uses.
- Epoxy glue has a longer shelf life as compared to resin glue and can last for several years.
- https://www.ajodo.org/article/0002-9416(65)90203-4/pdf
- https://patents.google.com/patent/US5290857A/en
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
