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Adhesives

Adhesives are one of the most fundamental technologies in any physical product. On average each new car contains ~21Kg of adhesive and sealant. Structural adhesives are especially important and can replace welds and rivets and reduce the weight of body panels; for every 1Kg of structural adhesives used in a car, 25Kg in total weight is saved.

The removal of weight and stronger adhesive bonds offer the automotive industry more fuel efficient cars along with improved safety. There are on average 5000 welds per car; half of these could be replaced by adhesive improving strength and corrosion resistance and reducing cost. The demand for adhesives in automotive applications is therefore strong.

However, the challenge for an adhesive to be adopted in the automotive sector is limited by a need for an adhesive which can glue the many different types of material used. Plastics are desired in preference to metals as a fabrication material due to advantages in both weight and material properties, however, adhesive bonds that join the most desirable plastics are difficult to achieve with current technology. Onto® technology provides ultra-strong adhesion to almost every material and therefore the opportunity exists to address and dominate this unmet need.

Onto® adhesion can also facilitate faster production times and miniaturisation of electronic devices. 1.5 billion mobile phones will be manufactured in 2010 and product lifetimes are as little as 6 months. Every new phone requires new tooling to manufacture the housing, and components. These are costly due to the need for precise structural design where screws and pins are attached to connect components together.

Adhesives offer portable electronic manufacturers cheaper and faster product development through cheaper and faster retooling, they also improve impact resistance of products in use. Mobile phones, blood glucose meters, MP3 players and satellite navigation devices will continue to be subject to greater in-use demands requiring lighter weight and rugged design which in turn will require use of lighter high performance plastics.

Onto® adhesives uniquely offer a solution that can address both existing and new high performance materials to give high strength durable bonds. The replacement of pins and fasteners also enables devices to be thinner and lighter.