Structural Adhesives Replace Rivets and Welding
Design freedom and ease of use are just some of the benefits that structural adhesives bring to industrial assembly and vehicle manufacturing. Sika features a diverse range of structural adhesives designed to replace welds, rivets, and mechanical fasteners while improving fastening strength and durability. We offer innovative solutions for vehicle manufacturers that can be used for a dizzying array of structural applications.
"Sika’s structural adhesives help integrating lightweight components and improving manufacturing by substituting rivets, welds and mechanical fasteners. Our team supports product designers and production teams in finding the optimal solution for each challenge. "
Sika’s global expertise, combined with the local technical service, helps industrial manufacturers find the best structural adhesive for their challenging applications.
Applications for Structural Adhesives
Sika’s offering for structural adhesives covers all technologies like epoxy adhesives, urethane adhesives and acrylic adhesives. Industrial manufacturers and auto producers choose Sika’s structural adhesives to achieve mixed material design and integrate lightweight components. Our structural adhesives improve assembly cost over other types of fastenings like welds, rivets, and fasteners.
Sika’s Structural Adhesives Help You Reduce Cost in Manufacturing
Sika’s structural adhesives improve manufacturing processes related to design and production phases. Manufacturers can assemble products in less time with the knowledge that the final product will be in no way compromised by the speed it was put together.
- Faster work process than with mechanical fasteners like welds or rivets
- No post treatment like grinding or polishing
- Can combine different materials
- Can be combined with other fastener techniques for fast handling
Sika’ Structural Adhesives Help You Reduce Weight of Your Product
Sika’s structural adhesives provide you further opportunities to achieve desired weight reduction targets of any built structures. Other than with mechanical fasteners or welds, Sika’s structural adhesives allow you to
- freely combine different material combination.
- increase stiffness along with reduction of weight.
- combine composite lightweight materials with steel or aluminium without compromising on performance.
- reduce the thickness of your metal sheets further realizing weight improvements
- distribute stress more evenly and avoid peaks as common with rivets and screws
Sika’s Structural Adhesives Improve Overall Aesthetic of Your Product
Metal fastenings like rivets or the scars left behind by welds can detract from the look for a product. Structural adhesives leave no visible trace. This lends manufacturers considerable design flexibility. Sika’s structural adhesives allow you to
- generate a nicer appearance of your product
- join dissimilar materials.
- avoid drilling holes
- avoid expensive sanding and polishing steps
Sika’s Structural Adhesives Help You Differentiate Your Product With Better Quality and Longer Service Life
Structural adhesives help manufacturers create better products. Structural adhesives perform well under many different circumstances.
- They aren’t vulnerable to corrosion
- They can withstand contact with solvents.
- Many of them are designed to hold up to extreme weather or temperatures,
- Don’t require no drilled holes or rivets to maintain their bond,
- They lead to more aesthetically pleasing product designs.
- They don’t lead to weld scars,
- They distribute stress more evenly which results in longer durability
Technology Drives Structural Adhesive Design
Sika relies on the best technology solutions our industry affords. We have more than 40 years of experience working with technologies that have led to some of the most innovative advances in the structural adhesives and sealants fields. Our structural adhesives improve the manufacturing and transportation production fields by increasing efficiency and durability. Our structural adhesives also provide a high level of hold that rivals or surpasses more mechanical fastenings like rivets, screws ,and welds.
"Sika features award winning innovations and continues to invest in further development of new value adding structural adhesive solutions "
SikaForce® and Sikaflex® Urethane Adhesives
Advances in polyurethane adhesives have led to crash-resistant holds that are helping to revolutionize automobile production. Urethane adhesives are an important class of industrial / automotive adhesives because of their unmatched properties when it comes to fastening performance. One of the most amazing benefits of polyurethane adhesives is that they can be designed for specific applications. That means they are incredibly diverse and can serve many different industrial needs.
Urethane adhesives feature technology that allows them flexibility even after they’re cured. This gives them outstanding impact and vibration resistance, also ideal attributes for the automotive manufacturing sector. In addition, urethane structural adhesives have the ability to bond to many different surfaces, including , rubber, metals, wood, and most types of plastics. Their strong bond and flexibility underscore the main benefits that bring to many different assembly applications.
SikaPower® Epoxy Adhesives
Epoxy structural adhesives rely on advanced chemistry technologies to stand up to many demanding conditions, including temperature extremes. These adhesives can adhere to many types of surfaces and stand up to chemicals like solvents. Available in both one-component and two-component formulations, epoxy structural adhesives may also contain modifiers that lend additional beneficial qualities to the mix like added flexibility or improved durability upon curing
SikaFast® Acrylic Adhesives
SikaFast® acrylic adhesives are polymers that are designed to form tough bonds. Designers and engineers love to work with acrylic adhesives because of their great design flexibility. These adhesives are easy to apply, can withstand extreme temperatures, cure and increase in strength quickly, and can also withstand impact. Manufacturers rely on acrylic adhesives to replace metal fasteners for a wide range of applications. Acrylic adhesives can be used with many different surfaces too, including oily metal, steel, and most plastics.