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[on:]

We (www.emriver.com) use this stuff a lot in prototyping, both electronics and other stuff, amazingly useful.

I see it in commercial circuits sometimes.  I've used it on a lot of boards.

Is it conductive at all?  Are some brands conductive?  We'd like to use it to glue down a limited production PCB, but I'm worried it'll cause shorts or act as a resistor.  Maybe certain brands/types are better insulators that others?

Search on the web says it's not conductive, also be careful using it on components that could get warm.  Could find no threads here.

Maybe a bunch of us could grab the nearest glue stick and test with VOM? :-)

[Reply #1 on:]

I've used hot glue guns to coat and isolate a lot of electronic boards. Never had a problem with it starting to conduct, but it may melt if electronics get really hot. So, it always worked for me, but this is just my experience.
-Igor

P.S. It's also great for strengthening connectors and making sure wires will not pull out of headers.

[Reply #2 on:]

Most hot-melt glues are essentially low-density polyethylene, which is a good insulator.  To be sure, stick to a particular brand, preferably one that has a printed specification.

I have heard that generic hot-melt adhesives do not retain their adhesion very will over long time periods (years.)  This is backed up by my experiences harvesting parts from used gear; old hotmelt gets a bit hard and brittle, and is relatively easy to dislodge...