Affixing Acrylic Faceplate to Powder Coated Enclosure

[benny_profane]

I've been using some laser etched acrylic faceplates on builds lately. On all of them to this point, I've cut holes in the faceplate for pots/switches so that the hardware will hold them in place. With this latest project, the design didn't really work out so that I could use that method, so I've got an acrylic faceplate that needs to be affixed to the powder coated enclosure without the aid of hardware. Are there particular adhesives that folks have used for this purpose with good results? I'd rather not use 3M foam tape (since it adds more height than I'd like and I don't know about longevity), but I'm open to any other options.

[pickdropper]

I was going to recommend 3M VHB.  There are thinner versions that should work.

But if you want even thinner, you can use 3M 467 or 468.  Those are 0.002" and 0.005" thick, respectively.  You have to be a bit careful with those as you have to properly press them down to get them to stick.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/765024O/iatd-product-info.pdf

[benny_profane]

Thanks. So, you'd suggest a tape over a glue? I know I want to avoid anything that melts plastics for adherence (some of the 'industrial' glues/cements will do that).

[pickdropper]

Thanks. So, you'd suggest a tape over a glue? I know I want to avoid anything that melts plastics for adherence (some of the 'industrial' glues/cements will do that).

No, everything that I recommended is double-sided tape.

3M actually specs which substrate a particular VHB is designed for.  Just make sure you get one that works for plastics.

The 467/468 should also work just fine with acrylic.  They are used for overlays all the time.  The biggest challenge with those is that they are much easier to deal with if you apply them before laser cutting the faceplate.

[benny_profane]

Right—I was just wondering if there were any glues / liquid adhesives that might work well too in addition to the tapes you had mentioned. I had come across some VHB series products while searching before (the 5952 popped up—but that's 1.1mm thick). Your suggested options seem much better. 3M Scotch weld also came up in my initial search. Do do have any experience with that? Do you think that double sided tape is a better method over a glue?

Unfortunately, the faceplate is already cut, so pre-application isn't an option. The tapes do seem manageable to work with, though.

[mjg]

Not sure about the look that you are going for, but what about a small 2mm or 3mm bolt in each corner of the enclosure?  That is enough to hold a faceplate in place I've found.  May not be what you are after though?

[benny_profane]

That's not a bad suggestion. Unfortunately, I've got art pretty much to the edges, so that won't work here. I could see making a border integrate the bolts and look really good though. Definitely going to keep that in mind for the future.

[mjg]

No worries.  Maybe next time. 

See if you can find a build report from Cooder, he usually uses the bolts through acrylic to good effect, so that will give you an idea what it can look like. 

[benny_profane]

Oh yeah. Cooder's stuff is really cool. He uses the acrylic pieces to great effect.