Adhesives & Sealants
November 2015 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 35
repair and overhaul business, as well as in electronics. Elfes
said businesses in thermal management products for the electronics industry – which Henkel assumed with its acquisition
of The Bergquist Company in 2014 – achieved double-digit
sales growth.
Growth can sometimes be thwarted by rising raw material
and energy costs, though Elfes said that Henkel’s Q2 report,
released in August of this year, predicts stable prices for raw
materials, packaging and purchased goods and services.
“The measures taken to reduce purchasing risks include
active supplier portfolio management through our globally
engaged, cross-divisional sourcing capability, together with
strategies aimed at securing price and volume both through contracts and, where appropriate and possible, through financial
hedging instruments.
“Furthermore, we work in interdisciplinary teams within
Research and Development, Supply Chain Management and
Purchasing on devising alternative formulations and packaging
forms so as to be able to respond flexibly to unforeseen fluctuations in raw material prices. We also avoid becoming dependent
on individual suppliers so as to better secure the constant supply of the goods and services that we require. Finally, close collaboration with our strategic suppliers plays an exceptionally
important role in our risk management,” Elfes said.
Volitale Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other environmental regulations have affected the market for adhesives and
sealants. According to Elfes, Henkel’s PUR hotmelts are becoming more and more popular with the furniture industry.
“Edgebanding using reactive polyurethane hotmelts has
proved superior to other methods. The numerous technical and
visual advantages of hotmelts – high, durable bond strength, resistance to moisture and heat, low application weight ensuring
an ultra-thin bond line – make Technomelt PUR the preferred
alternative to other methods on the market.
“Manufacturers of kitchen and bathroom cabinets in particular have recognized these advantages and are switching their
manufacturing lines to PUR hotmelts. With Technomelt PUR
270/7 G, Henkel has developed an edgebanding adhesive that
comes in granules and can therefore be processed immediately
in existing production lines with standard melting pots,” he said.
Responding to the continuing demand for both white furniture fronts and eco-aware materials, the company has introduced white-colored adhesives and PUR ME hotmelts to
its Technomelt PUR line. The suffix “ME” stands for Micro-Emission, and this product group has up to 90% less isocyanate emissions and is therefore exempt from hazard-labeling,
Elfes said.
New Products, Technologies
Henkel has also recently launched Bonderite M-NT 20120, a
next-generation conversion coating. This phosphate-free mul-timetal pretreatment technology effectively protects steel, zinc
and aluminum surfaces against flash rust. Bonderite M-NT
20120 reduces process complexity and thus enables faster cycle
times while cutting energy consumption and waste, Elfes said.
Henkel has also launched Loctite GC 10, an electrically
conductive solder paste, which can be stored at room temperature and retains its application properties for a year – eliminating the previous need for expensive cooling during transport
and storage.
H.B. Fuller is a supplier of adhesive coated technologies
for the building and construction, automotive, paper converting, woodworking adhesive, tile and floor adhesive and other
markets. For the woodworking adhesives market, the company
offers its Sesame line of tapes, strings and hot melts. The company’s Sesame hot melt adhesive for on-site plywood composing
features excellent bond for spot head welding joining between
veneer sheets. It has been formulated, according to the company,
for flexibility and to maximize wood yield.
For the paper converting market, H.B. Fuller offers both
Sesame and Enforcer tapes. The Enforcer tape for handle reinforcement was designed to replace plastic handles by preventing
handles from tearing and to prevent contents from breaking or
spilling. They are available in multiple widths, tensile strengths
and melt points.
Swiss company Sika AG has available to its customers
a variety of anchoring and multipurpose adhesives, as well
as waterproof sealers. Its two waterproof sealers are the
Sikagard High Gloss Sealer and Natural Look Clear Sealer.
Sikagard High Gloss Sealer is a water-based, acrylic concrete
and masonry sealer. Sikagard Natural Look Sealer is a commercial grade water repellent sealer that penetrates an absorbent surface to form a seal against the elements, such as water
and chlorides on concrete, masonry, mortar, brick and stone.
This sealer penetrates the surface to form a seal against the
elements such as water and chlorides, which can cause freeze
thaw damage to the surface. According to the company, this
product will not change the surface appearance and resists
the growth of fungi and moss.
Tremco offers a variety of sealants, including silicone, hybrid polyurethane, urethane, specialty, impregnated expanding
foam, and extruded silicone bridge joint. The company’s performance silicones are Spectrem, Proglaze and Tremsil, which are
described as cost-effective sealing products for waterproofing
the entire building envelope. Its Spectrem line has several offerings. Spectrem 1 is an ultra low-modulus, high-performance,
one-part, moisture-curing silicone joint sealant. Spectrem 2 is a
medium-module, one-part, high-performance, neutral-cure silicone sealant ideal or a variety of perimeter caulking and glazing applications. Spectrem 3 is a general-purpose, low-modulus,
high-performance, one-part, neutral-cure, non-staining, low dirt
pickup, construction-grade silicone sealant.
Spectrem 4-TS is a multi-component, neutral-curing,
nonstaining, low dirt pickup, low-modulus silicone sealant
specially formulated for use in dynamically moving building
joints. Spectrem 800 is a low-modulus, high-performance,
one-part, gun-grade silicone parking structure and highway
joint sealant. Spectrem 900SL is a low-modulus, high-performance, one-part, gun-grade silicone parking structure and
highway joint sealant. CW
