If the adhesives world had a track team, cyanoacrylate would be Usain Bolt, the three-time Olympic sprinting champion. That's because it is a versatile, super-fast material that cures much quicker than other types of adhesive.
Picking the right adhesive almost always entails a balancing act as engineers attempt to find products that meet conflicting end-use and manufacturability requirements. Medical device engineers, who also have to contend with a strict regulatory environment, often have the toughest time striking that balance.
More than 30 suppliers of equipment for dispensing and curing adhesives displayed their latest technologies at the 2016 ASSEMBLY Show. Here is a small sample of what you could find on the show floor.
The loudspeaker market is booming. In addition to designing to an outstanding product, efficient production is crucial for a speaker manufacturer to stay ahead of its competitors. Adhesives play an important role in this, but the potential they offer for increasing productivity has yet to be fully realized.
SANFORD, FL—Hernon Manufacturing Inc., a producer of adhesive and dispensing technologies, will more than double the size of its manufacturing facility here through a $2.5 million investment projected to add 20 jobs.
Engineers have many options for joining identical or similar materials. To join, say, a steel part to another steel part, engineers can use screws, rivets, welds, adhesives, clinches or press-fits.
SANFORD, FL—Hernon Manufacturing, a supplier of adhesives, sealants and dispensing equipment, will begin construction next month on a new building expansion. When complete, the new building will be 160 percent of the size of the current facility.
It may not be as “sexy” as a robot or a high-speed automated assembly system, but one of the most interesting new products introduced at the show last fall was actually an adhesive.