Future adhesive technologies

These methods are very promising to establish new materials for futures adhesion technology. 

The automotive industry, although it does not currently account for a high percentage of industrial adhesive use, is a key industry for the future of adhesive technology. In the past 40 years, the percentage of steel and iron used in cars has been reduced from 76 to 61 %, while that of aluminum has increased from 2 to 7.5% and plastics from 2 to 14%. Some companies have already exceeded these levels At AUDI AG, the share of plastics in some models is at 22.5%, and A1 34%. These... 

Maturation as a technology does not mean that advancement and innovation has ceased. Adhesive bonding is so essential to the aerospace field that as long as there is a desire to go higher, faster and farther more efficiently, there will be an incentive to develop new materials and processes for adhesive bonding. Areas of particular interest for future applications are high-temperature adhesives, fiber-reinforced metal laminates and more efficient bond assembly techniques. 

The future of solvent-based adhesives is discussed. The technology, once thought to be dying due to environmental and worker safety concerns, is reported to be dormant in some cases and declining in others, but definitely not dead,... 

Broad acceptance of reactive adhesives will be contingent upon the development of systems with acceptable toxicity limits. Until then, applications will be limited to those in selected, high performance adhesive markets. However, their technology has important implications for adhesives of the future. 

Polymers play a significant part in humans existence. They have a role in every aspect of modem life, such as health care, food, information technology, transportation, energy industries, and so on. The speed of developments within the polymer sector is phenomenal and, at same time, cmcial to meet the demands of today s and future life. Specific applications for polymers range from adhesives, coatings, painting, foams and packaging to stmctural materials, composites, textiles, electronic and optical devices, biomaterials, and many other uses in industries and daily life. Polymers are the basis of natural and synthetic materials. They are macromolecules and, in nature, are the raw material for proteins and nucleic acids, which are essential for human bodies. 

In the future, environmental protection will become more and more a matter of concern. Harmless technologies and recycling processes for both the adhesives and the entire circuits will have to be developed. In this connection, the following requirements must be met by the polymeric materials nontoxicity, low, or no, volatile-product content during use, suited for repairing and disassembling processes of components and recycling. 

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