Countless hours of research and development, engineering, and experimentation have gone into developing the most effective industrial adhesive solutions. This is since ‘bonding’ joined the ranks of proven industrial adhesive methods like welding, soldering, and riveting.
Your business could gain an edge in the marketplace by switching from traditional adhesion methods, like welding and mechanical fastening, to industrial adhesives. It would also be best to transition as early as now, as recent research projects the adhesion industry’s market size to reach USD$64.71 billion by 2027.
Adhesives should be incorporated into the design, production, and assembly process to decrease total manufacturing costs, increase product reliability, or boost performance and operating life. Find out more about industrial adhesives and their applications below.
Types Of Industrial Adhesives
Adhesives come in a wide variety that can be broken down into categories based on their composition or characteristics. The most widely used industrial adhesives are those listed below.
1. Epoxy Adhesive.
The construction, automotive, and aviation industries are just a few that benefit from epoxy adhesives’ short curing time and firm adherence to concrete surfaces. It’s also a key ingredient in the plywood business.
Epoxy adhesives, available in one- or two-component packing, have found widespread use in industry for binding a wide range of materials together. This includes metals, concrete, glass, ceramics, plastics, wood, and other materials.
2. Hot Melt Adhesive.
Hot-melt adhesives (HMA), or hot glue, is a thermoplastic adhesive. They’re sold in cylinders of varied diameters and handled with a hot glue gun. The plastic glue is melted by a continual heating element in the pistol, and the operator forces the molten glue through the gun using a motorized trigger or their fingers.
Once heated, the glue hardens in a matter of seconds to a minute. In addition to brushing or rolling on, dipping, and spraying are also viable methods of applying hot-melt glue. Compared to solvent-based adhesives, hot-melt adhesives perform far better in industrial settings. In addition, hot-melt adhesives can be stored for a long time and thrown away without special handling.
3. Resin.
Generally, resins are considered to be anaerobic adhesives. As a rule, they are cured after being employed to bind metals, which concludes the procedure. It’s not easy to reshape them after they’ve been cured. They have a reputation for their fastening abilities and are used to secure joints.
Resins have many practical uses in industry because they are tough to break once applied between two surfaces. Moreover, they’re considered inorganic adhesives because of their synthetic polymer composition.
4. Acrylic Adhesive.
Acrylic adhesives are two-component adhesives that use acrylic or methacrylic polymers as the resin component. This is also called acrylate or methyl methacrylate (MMA).
Aside from being powerful and efficient in binding multiple objects together, they are also highly resistant to the effects of the environment. Strong bindings across many different substrates are necessary for multiple fields, and acrylic adhesives are widely utilized in construction, automotive, and aerospace engineering.
5. Contact Spray.
No surface type cannot be dealt with a contact spray. This can be used to permanently or temporarily hold two surfaces. Carpentry and other building trades can benefit from this.
They are perfect for use in residential and other non-industrial settings because they do not leave any residue. It can be used on any floor type and is entirely waterproof. Moreover, you can do this on any surface, including uneven ones. This is because contact sprays work well with porous surfaces.
6. Fabric Adhesive.
Adhesives are used extensively in the textile industry. Fabric adhesives are similar to polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glues because they have a strong hold and are the same color as wood glue. They’re helpful in textiles in many ways, some of which may be surprising. Various fabric adhesives are available, from those that attach lightly to those that bond strongly.
Using fabric glue is highly recommended for do-it-yourself projects or when there is insufficient time to sew. There is intense competition in the fabric industry. Hence, finding ways to stand out and deliver quality fabric products is essential, like relying on a fabric adhesive in some parts of your product to expedite the process.
7. Pressure Adhesive.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) is a nonreactive adhesive that forms a bind with the surface under pressure. It doesn’t take a solvent, water, or heat to get the glue to work. It is used in many sticky products, including notepads, stickers, labels, and tapes.
When pressure is applied, binding increases. The degree of smoothness, surface energy, contaminant clearance, etc., all impact the strength of the bonds formed. The bonding power of PSAs is maximized at room temperature. This is because they become less tacky at lower temperatures and more prone to shear failure at higher degrees.
Labels and tapes of varying types and sizes are routinely made using pressure-sensitive adhesives. Pressure-sensitive adhesives are used in various industries, including the automotive, food processing and packaging, electronic, and medical supply industries.
These seven industrial adhesive types are many industries’ most used binding solutions. If one or two can help you and your business, you should immediately research them and check if you can afford the transition. Moreover, assess if your company could save as much as possible without affecting the quality.
Takeaway
Adhesives come in a wide variety of forms. Each type is different regarding chemical compositions, shapes, classifications, load-bearing capacities, and other qualities. Therefore, picking the perfect one depends on your needs is best.
