Page 4 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 25th January 2021

ADHESIVES...

How material choice impacts

on adhesive productivity

Ideally, material selection comes right at the beginning of a design process, but when

a manufacturer is experiencing poor productivity for an established assembly, it
might be time for a rethink. Paul Whitehead of adhesives specialist Intertronics looks
at the relationship between material choice and productivity in an adhesives process

hen a manufacturer is
experiencing poor product-
ivity from an adhesives
Wprocess, the first step to
resolving the issue is to identify exactly why
— there are several common pain points,
including speed, quality and waste. If a
manufacturer identifies that their material is
holding them back, what can they do to
reach their productivity potential?
Compared with mechanical fastenings,
adhesives can be slower in a production
process, because manufacturers may have
to wait for them to cure before the product
can move on to the next stage. A long cure
time can lead to bottlenecks and increased
work in progress. To speed up an adhesive
cure, it may be an option to add heat to
assist the reaction (for example, if an epoxy
adhesive is being used). Alternatively,
adhesive chemistries are available with
inherently fast cure rates, and with the
possibility of no compromise in functionality.
Many of our customers have found success Because they are single part and available in a
using UV light curing adhesives, which cure rapidly range of viscosities, they require no special
and on-demand when exposed to light energy. application equipment and are easy to use. UV

January 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p4