Latest trends and breakthroughs related to adhesive bonding technologies

The increasingly demanding regulation on emissions places the use of light materials as one of the drivers in many sectors, which forces traditional heavy materials to be replaced with lighter ones. This involves the combination of different materials, which often can only be joined together by adhesives.

Our colleague, Sonia Flórez, stated that "the combination of materials places adhesives as the standard bonding method, and in many cases the only form of bonding available".

The challenge of the multilateral strategy is related to the incorporation of adhesives in structures. At TECNALIA, we work in close collaboration with companies from different sectors, such as AERNNOVA or SIEMENS GAMESA, who raised awareness of the challenges faced by the aeronautical and wind power sectors in the bonding of multi-material structures.

Another of the topics addressed was the development and modification of adhesives through the addition of nanotechnology to improve their properties or provide them with new ones, such as electrical conductivity, which is important in the case of sound and adhesive bonding or heating.

Our group of multi-functional materials works with the all-in-one encapsulation patented technology for the development of systems with a self-repair capacity, as well as in the design, assembly testing and validation of multi-material structures with demanding specifications, in which the lightening of the final part is sought.

In this edition, the central theme revolved around multi-material structures. There were more than 80 participants and 30 speeches structured into four themed sessions: formulation, surface and adhesion technologies, characterisation and industrial applications.