Page 42 - Handbook of Adhesives and Sealants

12 Chapter One

alized that sealants could be used to provide additional function and
value to products in industries ranging from transportation to con-
struction.
Even the medical profession has come to use adhesives and sealants
in everyday processes. A cyanoacrylate adhesive is used for closing
wounds and lacerations while increasing patient comfort and reducing
scarring. Light or UV cured adhesives and sealants are commonly
used in dental restoration.
The science of adhesion is now well accepted, and the basic rules
and methods for achieving high performance joints have been well
established. The industry has a strong foundation of formulations and
processes. Today, many of the new adhesive and sealant developments
are focusing on production cycle time and cost; environmental en-
hancement; or application to new substrates, such as engineering plas-
tics, advanced composites, and ceramics that are rapidly gaining ac-
ceptance.
Development efforts supporting adhesives and sealants are directed
to optimizing the manufacturing and assembly processes. For exam-
ple, automated meter, mixing, and dispensing equipment and weld-
bonding adhesives have been perfected to reduce production time in
high-volume manufacturing operations. New adhesives and sealants
are often applied with robotic equipment to further enhance produc-
tivity. UV curable adhesives have been developed to take advantage
of their ease of application, elimination of mixing and heat curing, and
elimination of liquid solvent. Ultrasonic and other fast thermal weld-
ing techniques have found a receptive home in the high-volume trans-
portation and consumer product industries. Microwave assisted drying
of water-based adhesives and new hot melt systems have also been
developed to make bonding more agreeable to the fast-paced manu-
facturing world.

1.3.2 Current markets
Adhesives and sealants are used in a variety of industries: construc-
tion, packaging, furniture, automotive, appliance, textile, aircraft, and
many others. A large number of manufacturers supply many different
products to numerous end-users for a multitude of applications. Even
though the number of adhesive and sealant companies dwindle due to
industry-wide consolidation, there are over 1,500 companies in the
U.S. alone manufacturing various types of adhesive products. Many of
these companies are producing products for their own internal use.
One study defines seven major market areas and 59 major market
segments (Table 1.3). However, there are many additional markets
and niche applications where adhesives surpass other methods of join-
ing.