Adhesives, sealants, and their hybrids are crucial for many industries in which weight and performance must be balanced and tradeoffs limited, such as automotive, aerospace, and marine. In many cases, adhesives and sealants are expected to play a secondary role of providing structural integrity and force transmission. To optimize the mechanical properties of these products, as well as limit the cost associated with resins and polymers, fillers are commonly used.
Mixing and dispersing highly loaded adhesives has many challenges: creating the right balance between cost and performance; the amount and type of filler to use; and the interaction (or lack thereof) between the filler and the solvent component of the adhesive. An innovative dispersion technology has been developed to assist in the homogenization of highly filled adhesives, particularly fillers that are often difficult to incorporate into adhesive formulations.