Adhesive manufacturing involves creating custom industrial adhesive products that bond together a wide variety of materials and applications. These include woodworking, plumbing, packaging, labeling, appliance assembly, engineering, construction, and more. The types of materials bonded will depend on the type of adhesive being used, and the application process will also differ.
Adherents can be manufactured as one-part compounds or in two-part formulations. Many adhesives require homogenous mixing to activate the chemical reaction within the compound before application, such as epoxy adhesives, acrylics and urethanes. Other adhesives have latent bonding, which means they are activated by energy drawn from the outside of the compound (heat, oxygen, moisture, radiation or pressure).
The type of adhesive selected for an application will depend on a number of factors, including substrate type and material compatibility, use temperature and break strength. Most adhesive manufacturers use a selection of metering systems and mixers to produce the right amount of adhesive for the application process.
A large number of adhesive companies are based on natural and synthetic polymers. These are giant molecules formed by the linking of thousands of simple molecules, known as monomers.
These polymers impart strength and flexibility to the materials they bond with. They can also be used as fillers or as binding agents.
Other common polymers in adhesives are acrylic and urethane resins, which provide a high degree of resistance to moisture. These are found in adhesives for plastics, metals, and glass.
Another class of adhesives are thermoset adhesives that cure or harden by a chemical reaction to form a permanent bond. These can be made in solid or liquid forms, with a range of materials such as epoxies, polyesters and silicones.
Thermoset adhesives can be produced in a variety of ways, such as a kettle mixer or a continuous extrusion process. Some of these adhesives are used in industries such as fiber optics and dentistry, where they work as a sealant or to bond objects together.
They are often available in a wide variety of granule or powder forms, and can be applied to materials with brushes, rollers, films or pellets. They are used in a variety of manufacturing processes, from the simplest of hand-held jobs to automated robotics. If you are looking for an adhesive supplier, click here.
Some adhesives, called aqueous-modified adhesives, are water-based and require dilution before application. They have the ability to bond many materials, including wood and metal, with a range of temperatures and environmental conditions.
Despite their versatility, adhesives must be used carefully to ensure the best results. This includes a process of degreasing the surfaces that will be joined using a solvent that dissolves grease and other contaminants.
After degreasing, the gluing process is started by applying an appropriate adhesive to the surfaces that will be bonded. Typically, a brush or roller is used to apply the glue to each surface. Sometimes a spray gun is used. The adhesive is then held in place with pressure to rid the surface of air bubbles. Finally, the glued surfaces are dried. Check out this post that has expounded on the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive.
