Industry Applications:
Construction
Adhesives are going from strength to strength in the construction industry! The right adhesive creates a stronger bond than mechanical fixings, whilst distributing loads more evenly across substrates for increased durability over time.
Adhesives create a greater degree of design flexibility, allowing companies to create better aesthetics and along with improved performance, offer a higher quality product to the end user.
Add to this the reduced need for skilled labour, smaller component inventories, increased speed and ease of application, and businesses will see a range of cost savings in many areas.
Industry Applications:
Construction
Adhesives are going from strength to strength in the construction industry! The right adhesive creates a stronger bond than mechanical fixings, whilst distributing loads more evenly across substrates for increased durability over time.
Adhesives create a greater degree of design flexibility, allowing companies to create better aesthetics and along with improved performance, offer a higher quality product to the end user.
Add to this the reduced need for skilled labour, smaller component inventories, increased speed and ease of application, and businesses will see a range of cost savings in many areas.
Bonding of Composites
Joining composite materials presents a unique challenge due to the wide range of materials incorporated into composite products like glass fibre, carbon fibre, and aramid composites.
In terms of joining methods, welding is insufficient as it only joins similar materials. Mechanical fasteners are also unsatisfactory as they require the creation of holes and distribute stress unevenly around the fastening, weakening the structure and often resulting in cracking or pull out.
The right adhesive, on the other hand, can bond dissimilar materials and distributes stress more evenly across the surfaces, maintaining structural integrity.
There are many adhesive options available depending on your substrates, how much flexibility you need, performance requirements, bonding conditions, etc. Structural adhesives and ms polymers are usually amongst the best options.
Top Benefits
Strong and Lightweight Bonds
Uniform Stress Distribution
Design Flexibility
Cladding
As a very varied application using an assortment of substrates in diverse range of environmental conditions, cladding, across the board, benefits greatly from the advantages offered over traditional mechanical fasteners:
- Drilling, which weakens brittle panels like porcelain, can be avoided
- Visible fasteners are no longer required, creating a better aesthetic
- Additional design options as a variety of substrates can be used
- Simplified fastening methods result in faster installation
- Less skilled labour is required, reducing costs
- Less maintenance due to reduced weathering of mechanical fasteners
- Durability improves as adhesives flex with substrates
- Additional benefits like improved thermal performance and sound insulation
A variety of adhesives are available depending on a number of factors, including type of substrate, performance requirements, and environmental conditions. For example, the right adhesive for a lighter weight material like PVC, used indoors for hygienic purposes, will be different to the adhesive required for heavier materials like stone, brick, or masonry, used outdoors for aesthetic purposes.
Top Benefits
Cleaner Aesthetics
Enhanced Durability
Faster Installation
Concrete Insulation (ICF)
Adhesives play a key role in ICF construction in order to ensure performance of this modern construction method.
Polystyrene is notoriously difficult to bond, so the EPS blocks used in ICF need a particular adhesive in order to bond the blocks together. Sealant foam is also helpful to seal any cracks.
This highly insulated form of construction maximises the energy efficiency of buildings, so water and airtightness are important factors in the design. The building materials used, mainly concrete and EPS insulation, are inherently low permeability, but cracks must be prevented. Adhesives ensure that materials are properly bonded and sealed to prevent water ingress to ensure dry, comfortable, and energy optimised buildings.
Top Benefits
Strong and Durable Bonding
Efficient Repair and Maintenance
Improved Adhesion for Surface
Precast Form Working
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Top Benefits
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Flooring
The use of adhesives during flooring result in a higher quality finish that offer a number of benefits for the end user.
With a more even bond, comes sound dampening and vibration, preventing creaks and improving comfort of walking. It also improves thermal conductivity in the case of underfloor heating.
Adhesives create a stronger bond that strengthens the entire structure, preventing shifting of the flooring over time and loose mechanical fixings that present a hazard. Tighter fitting flooring also reduces gaps that gather dust and microbial growth whilst also creating a more aesthetic, seamless finish.
Top Benefits
Strong, Even Bond
Seamless Installation
Noise and Vibration Reduction
Guttering
Using adhesives to fix guttering simplifies installation and repair greatly.
Not only do adhesives create a stronger bond than slotting pieces of guttering together, glue is also more durable than rubber seals. Adhesive sealants are ideal for guttering due to the creation of a flexible, weatherproof bond that creates a smooth aesthetic and can be painted over.
Top Benefits
Ease of Installation
Seamless and Leak-Proof
Durability and Flexibility
Modular Building
Adhesives and sealants are of great benefit to the construction of modular buildings, offering benefits both for the end user and for manufacturers.
Adhesives create strong, stable joins with a variety of substrates throughout modular homes and portable cabins including bonding panels and flooring. They create strong bonds that improve thermal insulation and also distribute stress evenly, reducing noise and vibration.
Reduced use of mechanical fixings results in a better finished appearance and their versatility allows for increased design options. In many ways, adhesives and sealants increase perceived value for the end user.
Sealants are important in modular buildings for both comfort and energy efficiency which is becoming increasingly more important in today’s world. They are weather resistant, with moisture, temperature, and UV resistant qualities.
Adhesives and sealants are quick and easy to apply, reducing the number of mechanical fixings, reducing component inventories and the need for skilled labour, speeding up production and resulting in cost savings across the board.
Top Benefits
Reduced Construction Time and Costs
Improved Aesthetics and Insulation
Enhanced Structural Integrity and Flexibility
Roofing
With improved adhesive technology in recent years, the use of adhesives for roofing applications has increased greatly.
High performance, weatherproof adhesives improve the durability of roofing and create seamless joints. However, the biggest bonus for roofing providers is the speed and ease of application. Less skilled labour is required and smaller crews are able to complete work faster, resulting in lower overheads and increased productivity.
Top Benefits
Seamless and Waterproof Joints
Enhanced Durability and Flexibility
Faster Installation and Reduced Labour Costs
Insulation Panels
Adhesives used in the manufacture of layered insulation panels offer high strength bonds with various substrates, including metals, timber, insulation (eg EPS, PIR, XPS) and unplasticised PVC (uPVC).
They need the flexibility to cope with movement and vibrations due to temperature changes and mechanical loads.
1k and 2k polyurethane adhesives are most commonly used and offer many advantages for manufacturers. These glues are very easy to use and automate in production lines, can be applied by almost any method, and are cost effective. All round, they are a great choice for business, simplifying production, increasing line speeds, and driving costs down.
In addition to all these benefits, the right adhesive results in an improved final product with increased thermal performance for energy efficiency.
Top Benefits
Improved Manufacturing Efficiency
Enhanced Thermal Performance
Strong and Consistent Bonding
Sealants for Door and Window Fittings
Using the right frame sealant for door and window fitting results in great performance and benefits for the end user.
Not only are these sealants waterproof, UV and mould resistant, for excellent weather resistance and years long durability, they result in a great aesthetic finish that can be painted over. They are easy to apply directly from the bottle, and create an enhanced environment for building occupants, reducing both draughts and environmental noise.
Top Benefits
Enhanced Weatherproofing
Energy Efficiency
Noise Reduction
Timber Frame Applications
The timber frame housing and cabin construction industries can avail of the benefits of adhesives in a number of areas.
Not only can glues be used in common applications like flooring and door and window sealing, but adhesives also have other properties that aid in timber frame construction.
Timber frame buildings are subject to increased movement due to natural expansion and contraction of the timbers due to weather conditions, which generates additional loads and stresses on joints. Modern adhesives are able to accommodate this natural movement whilst at the same time increasing structural strength and preventing cracking due to heat. The use of adhesives helps to reduce creaking that comes with this increased movement.
Sealing is also a significant function of adhesives in timber frame construction, due to the importance of maintaining air tightness of the envelope.
Top Benefits
Structural Integrity
Noise Reduction
Improved Thermal Performance
Concrete Joint Repair
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