Explore the Emerging Trends of Industrial Adhesives across the World

Industrial adhesives, also known as sealants, are organic and inorganic chemical compounds which are used to join several substrates through surface bonding and cohesion. These are mainly used to bond and fasten industrial applications, so can be an excellent replacement to welding, mechanical fastening and so many other joining methods.  

Types of industrial adhesives:-

Industrial adhesives are available in the form of liquid, paste, film, pallets etc. and can be classified either by chemical compositions or by adhesive properties.

Classification based on chemical composition:-

• Acrylic adhesives: Cyanoacrylates, or super-glues, are a part of acrylate adhesives which are resistant to environmental factors such as draught and mineral deficiency etc. When they come in contact with adjacent surfaces, they can cure immediately through a reaction with saturated surface.
• Thermosetting adhesives: These are thermoset materials with good resistance to high temperatures. They need proper heat and pressure to provide a tight and reliable joint.
• Epoxy adhesives: They are produced from chemicals like resin and hardener. They are usually used for combining various elements like wood, bricks, metals, ceramics etc.
• Polyurethane adhesives: These are thermoplastic glue that offer outstanding flexibility, durability & impact resistance. They are generally used to give the final touch to carpentry and woodworking materials.
• Silicone adhesives: They are liquid adhesives which possess an excellent flexibility as well as high temperature resistance. They are mainly used for fitting pipes, tanks etc.
• Rubber adhesives: They are synthetic rubbers and can provide extremely flexible and reliable joints to several materials.

Classification based on adhesive properties:-

• Hot melt adhesives: They can be softened and hardened repeatedly by heating and cooling respectively. They can generate strong chemical bonds after the solidification process.
• Pressure sensitive adhesives: PSA can be easily attached to surfaces with a slight pressure. Contact adhesives are a kind of PSA that are perfect for applications in large surface areas.
• Thermoset adhesives: They are thermosetting polymers which possess good creep resistance, which is why they are widely used for high loaded constructions.
• UV curing adhesives: These are also known as radiation curable adhesives. They cure with ultraviolet light or other radiation sources and make permanent bond without heating.

Global market scenario of industrial adhesives:-

According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the industrial adhesives market size is anticipated to reach $54.9 billion with a significant CAGR from 2019-2027. Adhesives are used across various industries such as packaging, automotive, construction, transportation, electrical & electronics etc. Due to its wide usage in several applications, the demand for industrial adhesives is constantly increasing in the end use industries and thereby, boosting the market growth.

Apart from this, adhesives tend to reduce the overall manufacturing cost, and increase product performance along with their operating life. This in turn, has made various businesses to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Furthermore, DELO, one of the global manufacturers of industrial adhesives that serves for automotive, consumer & electronic applications, has recently launched a UV area curing lamp. This is a modular designed lamp that can be beneficial for cleaning rooms. The lamp is based on water cooling and offers variable cooling concepts, hence can be widely adopted to consumer specific requirements.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the industry in more than one way. The lockdown implementation across the world gave way to several restrictions and temporary closure to manufacturing facilities, which in turn, hampered the supply chain management of almost every industry across the world. Similarly, the automotive industry, electronics and electrical industries, chemical industry etc. faced immense failure in receiving raw materials on time as well as in interstate & international transportation of finished products. Thus, the huge losses in end use industries had subsequently decreased the demand for industrial adhesives, especially during the initial phase of the lockdown.  

Nevertheless, the introduction of EVA hot melt adhesives for high performance packaging industry is expected to enhance the global industrial adhesives market growth in the near future. Moreover, the global companies of industrial adhesives are currently embracing new strategies and seeking new finance resources in order to expand their manufacturing sector, to overcome the losses and most importantly, to stay competitive in the market

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