Adhesives & Sealants Industry Top Stories

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What factors are influencing all of the merger and acquisition activity we’ve seen in the past year or so? Check out “Continued Consolidation in the Adhesives and Sealants Sector” for details.

Our hope is that you use this issue’s sourcing guide and the online Raw Materials, Chemicals, Polymers, and Additives Handbook in tandem as trusted tools for researching materials and locating suppliers throughout the year.

Noninvasive glucose monitoring devices are not currently commercially available in the U.S., so people with diabetes must collect blood samples or use sensors embedded under the skin to measure their blood sugar levels. With a new wearable device created by Penn State researchers, however, less-intrusive glucose monitoring could become the norm. 

A new polyol (PCD-b-PPG) has been synthesized that has a low viscosity of around 800-3,000 mPa·s (at 25˚C, liquid state) and is transparent due to the use of PCD as an initiator, even after storing for a long duration. The new PCD-b-PPG polyol can be applied to coating applications where transparency is required. In addition, it may contribute to other CASE applications and solvent-free urethane compositions that can take advantage of its low viscosity.

The American Coatings Show and Conference returns to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 5-7, 2022. Through the event’s conference and exhibition, coatings industry professionals will have myriad opportunities to learn about the latest technologies in raw materials for coatings and adhesives, processing and testing equipment, and environmental protection and safety, as well as a range of services.

Medical device design engineers hold in their hands the power to help transform people’s health. They have the ever-important job of designing medical devices that help people monitor, track, and adjust their health for the better. However, some design engineers may be making a mistake that can affect how an entire medical device functions: they could be reducing adhesive selection to an afterthought. This critical decision is too often left until device design is almost complete.

During COVID, clients and colleagues realized there was far too much risk in their supply chain. For the most part, they realized the stark difference in requesting help from in-demand suppliers vs. collaborating jointly with supply chain partners. Given the robust demand for raw materials to successfully support key customer needs, suppliers have no choice but to prioritize. There is little doubt they are prioritizing strategic and profitable customers, as well as those with long-term agreements.

Parker Hannifin Corp. is investing in a 75,000-sq-ft expansion and modernization of its Parker LORD chemical manufacturing plant in Saegertown, Pa. This expansion to the existing 250,000-sq-ft facility will help enable Parker LORD to increase its share of the growing adhesives market.

Quick thinking. Open communication. Digital solutions. Streamlined processes. Wide-ranging supply chain issues coupled with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed companies that supply raw materials and chemicals to their limits. But as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention—and players in the adhesives and sealants industry are nothing if not inventive.