Metal is a valuable commodity in many industries such as construction, automotive, aerospace, and many others, providing many benefits to end consumers and manufacturers alike. Consumers trust metals because they are sturdy, solid, they have been around for years, and can give consumers the products they want. Manufacturers like metals because they work well across a variety of applications within a wide range of temperatures, they provide excellent strength, weather resistance, and are cost-effective.
How manufacturers mold, shape, bond, and process metals varies with many different options available from a blacksmith’s forge to stamping, diecasting, bending, coiling, and more. Whether working with gritty industrial metals or high-tech alloys, maintaining consistent and reliable operations is key to producing quality products as are efficient operations for manufacturer profitability.
When it comes to designing metal and comparing traditional fastening methods to adhesive bonding, manufacturers are realizing the many benefits of industrial adhesive bonding.
Adhesive Metal Bonding vs. Mechanical Fasteners
Metal mechanical fasteners have been used for decades, since the beginning of metalworking, and are still in use today for a few reasons. Mechanical fasteners are chosen because “it’s the way it’s always been done”, and metal fasteners are still a good choice in some applications depending on the design. While they might be a good choice for many products, metal fasteners might not be the best choice when compared to industrial adhesive suitability.
Bonding metal with industrial adhesives instead of using metal mechanical fasteners provides the following benefits:
- Bonding of dissimilar substrates
– some fasteners cannot connect two different types of substrates and different types of metal could create a problem with corrosion. A customized industrial adhesive can be formulated to bond with dissimilar metal substrates with long-lasting adhesive metal bonding without causing any product degradation. - Eliminates drilling holes – using metal fasteners requires drilling holes in the metal substrate which can weaken the product and may also promote corrosion at the point of drilling.
- evenly distributes stress – industrial adhesives evenly distribute the stress over the entire area of the bond instead of concentrated fastening points.
- Adhesives bond and seal – adhesives can bond metal substrates together and simultaneously seal the product to prevent moisture or liquid damage.
- Provide Longer-lasting strength – bolts and screws can become loose over time, an adhesive bond distributed over the entire product can last the lifetime of the product without coming apart due to loose or rusted components.
- Adhesives provide insulation and reduce vibration – using industrial adhesives when bonding to metal allows for creating thin panel laminates that provide better insulation and reduce vibration. Imagine a car door assembled with nuts and bolts clanking as it goes down the road instead of an assembled metal laminate secured with a powerful adhesive that maintains shape and resilience while eliminating vibration and road noise. Industrial adhesives dissipate energy rather than transmit energy, improving product design, aesthetics, and performance.
- Adhesives allow for lighter weight, thinner materials – with even stress distribution over the entire bond, thinner substrates can provide even greater strength without creating fastener stress points. Reducing weight provides greater fuel efficiency in transportation vehicles and many other benefits such as reduced cost of materials across a variety of industries. /li>
Working with an experienced industrial adhesive supplier that provides a custom formulation of adhesives and coatings will optimize your process for maximum efficiency while improving product quality.
UNICHEM Offers Customized Industrial Adhesive for Metal Bonding
Universal Chemicals & Coatings, Inc., UNICHEM, has been providing customized adhesive and coating solutions for more than 50 years. We offer more than high-performance industrial adhesive solutions, our team of resin scientists and polymer experts work with our customers to provide adhesive bonding solutions that maximize process efficiency and product quality. Our uniBOND industrial adhesive product meets the needs of bonding a variety of substrates including metal substrates for metal to metal or metal lamination with dissimilar materials.
UNICHEM leads the industry with custom coating and adhesive solutions with state-of-the-art facilities, research and development, and meticulous product quality testing including real-world simulations. Experience the UNICHEM difference and have an adhesive expert on your team. Contact us to improve your lamination bonding to metal application with high-quality uniBOND industrial adhesive.