Page 384 - Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants

340 Chapter Nine

before he can make an informed recommendation is summarized in
Fig. 9.8.
Often it is tempting for the novice or adhesive user to try to for-
mulate custom adhesives to meet a specific application. However, this
is usually not a very efficient approach unless one is very skilled in
both the science and the art. Formulating skills cannot generally be
developed through reading or academic work. They can only be de-
veloped by working at the bench, selecting ingredients, compounding
them, and then characterizing the end result with close cooperation
with the end-user. This multilevel experience is the value that the
many adhesive suppliers have to offer.
Information regarding adhesive formulations is available from sev-
eral sources. There are several books that offer limited information on
the topic plus scattered information in periodicals, journals, confer-

Figure 9.8 Problem analysis form for selection of adhesives. 21