The ability to efficiently and accurately dispense adhesives, sealants, and other materials is absolutely vital in assembly operations. Companies that rely on manual methods run into issues with operator error, slow speeds, excessive waste, and other problems.

The global pandemic has accelerated demand for manufactured goods of many types, as consumers stay home and manufacturers continue to operate as essential businesses.

Transportation electronics in both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and autonomous vehicles regulate crucial on-board domains such as drive control units, safety systems, proximity sensors, and connectivity controllers. The electronics in these increasingly sophisticated computers are susceptible to corrosion failures from exposure to water and salt during vehicle operation that can result in performance problems, loss of function, and expensive repairs.

It’s time for ASI’s annual Buyers’ Guide, a purchasing and applications resource for raw materials, equipment, and services used to manufacture adhesives and sealants, pressure sensitives, and adhesives and sealants products such as tapes and labels. The Buyers’ Guide also includes supplier details for finished adhesives and sealants.

Having a piece of plastic or metal inserted into your body is never going to feel like a warm blanket wrapping around you, but it is possible to make sure that these vital instruments are doing their job while not causing any damage or unnecessary pain in the process. Surface engineering is key for medical devices like tubing, catheters, and stents that are implanted in the human body.

When anticipating using adhesives in structural bonding, a common need is developing the testing protocol to demonstrate bonded system effectiveness. While pressure-sensitive tapes are used in structural joining, this discussion will focus on liquid, paste, and film adhesives in structural joints.

Third-party coating, adhesive, and sealant providers benefit greatly from the rigorous testing standards required by their manufacturing partners. While this is a widely adopted norm, the best practice in testing procedures involves incorporating additional quality control and testing standards beyond those requirements.