Mass production is all about assembly, which requires fastening components together for subassemblies or complete assemblies. This is accomplished with welding, riveting, screwing and the list goes on. But what about using adhesives?
In the video above, we look at how industrial adhesives are a viable alternative to mechanical fastening and welding solutions with Dennis Ngo, application development senior specialist at 3M.
“Adhesives have come a long way and there are many kinds of adhesives with just as many attributes,” said Ngo. “Structural adhesives produce a very strong bond that performs just as well as a weld. Even weaker adhesives like tapes can provide sufficient bonding for industrial applications.”
Common applications for industrial adhesives include sealing tubes and binding sheet metals, Ngo explained. For both applications, adhesive bonding presents advantages in speed.
“With adhesives, you can get speedy results with a PHB tape,” Ngo said. “Using PHB tape rather than riveting, for example, you also get a much cleaner look. You just apply the tape, stick on the other part or sheet metal, apply some pressure and that’s it.”
Not only do adhesive bonds offer time savings, but they also take out the need for skilled, trained labor.
“If you’re welding two pieces of sheet metal together, you must then grind it down and this takes a lot of time,” Ngo continued. “Welding also needs skilled labor, that requires training. With tape solutions, there’s minimal training.”
For more information on the benefits of adhesive solutions, watch the video above and visit 3M’s website.