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Electric mobility and photovoltaics play a vital role in protecting the climate and conserving fossil resources. Combining them leads to even more innovative and sustainable mobility concepts. To show that these kinds of solutions are already feasible using state-of-the-art materials and technologies, a team of around 45 young researchers has developed a solar-powered electric car.

Teflon, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), is one of the most versatile industrial coatings available today. Best known for its nonstick properties, Teflon offers an extremely low coefficient of friction, chemical inertness, and excellent dielectric stability. Far more than a product for cookware, Teflon’s non-stick properties can be used to solve a variety of design challenges, including preventing the buildup of contaminants, corrosion and bacteria, and reducing friction or sticking between parts that come into contact. It can also be used as an ingredient in heavy-wear, high-load applications.

International Data Corp. (IDC) discovered more than 900,00 smartphones are damaged by liquids every day globally.1 IDC’s research has found that liquid damage is the second-largest cause of damaged smartphones after broken screens, representing 35% of all devices repaired. This damage results in significant costs to the end users, device manufacturers, carriers and retailers, with the impact of liquid damage estimated to be worth nearly $100 billion each year.

Adhesive selectors, whether published guides or human, typically begin with determining which adhesive product or products will adhere to the substrate. That approach is necessary for repair applications, and may even be necessary for fixing a production issue on-the-fly. Engineers working in assembly need to consider the functionality of the device first. Adjusting substrate materials, processes, or joint designs may also be considered, but not automatically required. Next, testing to verify performance is necessary—and strongly recommended.

Assembly industry enthusiasts will connect at The Assembly Show, taking place October 24-26 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Returning for a fifth year, the event will offer three days of educational sessions, hundreds of exhibiting companies, thousands of industry professionals—including buyers and users of assembly equipment, products or services in manufacturing plants—a dynamic keynote speaker, and two networking receptions.

Adhesive and sealant manufacturers and end users are always looking for a competitive edge. Faced with a bewildering number of formulation choices and risk/reward tradeoffs, they can end up getting left behind as technologies advance, or make a technical or business mistake if they are too aggressive. There are literally hundreds of raw materials to choose from, a long process to validate and verify new ingredients, and precious little time for internally driven product development projects.

Acrylic adhesives offer the advantages of increased cost efficiencies, better aesthetics and improved impact resistance compared to other methods for the assembly of complex structures. Recently, new acrylic technology has been developed that offers superior lap-shear strength, high elongation and high bake resistance, as well as excellent failure mode across difficult-to-bond metal substrates. These “next-generation” acrylic adhesives are ideal for meeting the rigorous demands in various manufacturing and fabricating segments, including commercial vehicles, wind and energy equipment, and industrial equipment.

Electronic components that contain a die require a path by which excess heat can be removed from the component package. In low-voltage plastic-encapsulated microcircuits, the heat may simply travel by conduction through the die attach and the die paddle for dissipation through the bottom of the package.

According to Grand View Research, the global market for wearable medical devices is expected to reach $27.8 billion by 2022.1 Dow Corning reportedly sees the role of specialized adhesive technologies as a key driver of this growth, especially in skin- adhered medical devices, a major segment of the wearables market.