On the surface, butyl coated foams are simply slightly tacky sealants. It’s when we cut into the material that the secret of this versatile water barrier is revealed. Outside, the butyl jacket creates a uniform finish. Inside, however, the foam core adds a compressible PVC backbone to the product. That’s an invaluable feature, and here’s…

Nowadays, polymer technology is everywhere. The super tough plastic housings that frame cellphones are made of polymers. Car parts are made from durable plastics, which is just another name for a polymer. Then, in glues and adhesives, the same complex molecular chains create the linkages that gift liquid fasteners with an unbreakable chemical backbone. It’s…

There comes a point in a technician’s career when words like sticky and gluey just won’t cut it anymore. In response to a maturing set of engineering skills, a scholarly vocabulary grows. Take the field of adhesive compounds, for example, a discipline that’s peppered with technical terms. Viscoelasticity is one such multisyllabic term, but what…

A colourful analogy would describe an adhesion promoter as a stickiness bridge, but this analogy lacks depth. Instead, we’ll outline the chemical coupling features of this essential fixative agent and learn how this additive works with both the targeted substrate and an adhesive compound to produce (promote) a strong bond. Capable of facilitating a chemically…

A double-sided acrylic tape is, as the name implies, a pressure-sensitive product that places a tacky adhesive on both sides of the tape. It sticks to a surface, to itself, and any additional surfaces. In short, this versatile product sticks one thing to another. Of course, we’re all about the specifics, so what are these…

According to a technical definition, pressure sensitive adhesive tapes are strips of tacky material that activate when they’re pressed against a surface. The backing strip is fabricated from plastic, paper, metal, or some other flexible material. The sticky substrate covering the internal surface of this “tape” is a pressure-activated bonding agent. What else is there…

Sealants and adhesives are employed wherever surface parts require a bonding agent. The chemical compounds anchor parts and protect vulnerable materials from corrosive forces. Basically, these tacky substances chemically cement and protect pretty much everything, so they’re found everywhere. Ironically, those same chemicals can cause havoc, both environmentally and locally, unless we avoid the highly…

In the sealants and adhesives industry, strong products deliver superior bonds. Meanwhile, a developing sustainability initiative is addressing other vital issues, problems that go beyond cohesion strength. The goal of this action is to reduce the large environmental footprint we associate with the construction industry. Sealant compound designs already conform to this Green ideology. Can…

Sealants exhibit great strength when bond integrity is assured. The stalwart adhesive family is similarly endowed, so both chemical bonding agents should work ten out of ten times, right? Not quite, for there are instances where the curing joint slackens or just forms a relaxed fit. We need to pin down the common causes of…

Polyurethane adhesives use a series of urethane and carbamate chains to form strong linkages between plastic polymer units, yet there’s no fixed composition inferred here. Instead, the chemical compound is customizable. The central polymer islands work with chain extenders and urethane linkages to deliver incredible bonding strength, but that’s only the beginning, for strong substances…