Freudenberg Introduces Surface Treatment Process to Enable Adhesive Bonding Without Wet Chemicals
WEINHEIM, GERMANY—Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced a new surface treatment process designed to eliminate the need for wet-chemical bonding in manufacturing, while improving efficiency and environmental performance.
The process, called Freudenberg Adhesive Clean Technology (FACT), prepares metal and plastic substrates for direct bonding with elastomers during vulcanization, without the use of traditional primers, binders or solvents. Instead of acting as an adhesive, the process modifies the surface of the material to enable bonding.
At the microscopic level, FACT permanently alters the substrate surface through controlled activation and modification, creating a clean, functional interface that promotes strong bonding with elastomers. This approach replaces the role of conventional adhesive systems, while allowing properties such as electrical conductivity and weldability to be retained.
The fully automated process can be integrated directly into production lines ahead of vulcanization, reducing handling steps, curing time and material logistics. Freudenberg said the result is shorter cycle times, higher throughput and improved reproducibility through online process monitoring.
The technology supports bonding between elastomers and a range of materials, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals and plastics, regardless of layer thickness or surface geometry. The resulting components maintain performance under demanding conditions, including exposure to oils, water, hydrogen and AdBlue, as well as temperatures as low as minus 40 C.
Freudenberg said eliminating wet-chemical bonding significantly reduces environmental impact. By removing solvent-based binders—some of which can contain more than 90 percent solvents—the process reduces both material consumption and emissions. In internal testing, the company reported carbon dioxide emissions as low as 1.1 percent of a conventional wet-chemical reference process.
“Until now, the use of wet-chemical bonding has been essential for bonding metal parts,” said Dominik Langore, manager surface technology EU at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. “With every process step we eliminate using our new binding technology, we also reduce the number of potential errors throughout the entire manufacturing process.”
The process is designed for applications across automotive, aerospace and energy systems, where durable bonding and regulatory compliance are critical. Freudenberg said the technology also supports emerging applications, including battery systems, by enabling new material combinations that were previously difficult to achieve.
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