Wind turbine blades: EXTREME MECHANICAL STRESS, PLUS RECYCLABILITY
The development of a 100% recyclable wind industry sector, of which Arkema is one of the great creators, is also a challenge in terms of adhesives. As part of the Zebra industrialization project (see p. 44-45), Bostik developed a methacrylic adhesive with innovative properties for assembling the two long components that make up an Elium® wind turbine blade. It ensures a super secure fixing that lasts at least 20 years (temperature range of between -30°C and 70°C, extreme mechanical stress at the end of the blade), while offering proven compatibility with the resin recycling processes developed by the Group and its partners.
Photocurable adhesives… EVEN FOR OPAQUE PARTS
Among the range of photocurable adhesives where exposure of the resin to UV radiation triggers the “setting” by polymerization, Bostik has a technology unique to the world.
It allows this process to be used even for opaque objects by exposing the thin layer of resin from the side. A “gem” offered across different chemistries, for different applications: from the consumer “fix & flash” range, sold in DIY stores with a little UV lamp, to 3D layer-by-layer printing of carbon fiber parts.
Pressure-sensitive adhesives: GREATER PERFORMANCE, FEWER SOLVENTS
Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) - stickers and rolls of adhesive tape are common examples - are also widely used in industry and construction. Bostik has acquired a major asset in this domain with the purchase of Ashland, which has a unique portfolio of technologies that ensure long-term adhesion in demanding conditions, for example, the assembly of roof sealing membranes or attaching the headliner to the metal bodywork in the automotive industry. All with fewer and fewer volatile organic compounds: the new generation of PSA developed by Bostik replaces solvent glues with innovative solutions, activated by humidity or UV.
UV cure-in-place gasketing: HIGH-PRECISION SEALING
Some industries, such as watchmaking and information technology, require bonds with very complex geometry, ensuring a perfect seal while allowing (unlike with glue) dismantling. For these delicate applications, Bostik has an unrivaled technology: cure-in-place gasketing. A liquid adhesive is deposited on the receiving part, in the desired form, by a robotic needle; exposed to UV, it sets to form an elastic seal less than 0.2 mm thick. Amazingly precise and used for example in the manufacture of Samsung waterproof watches (dismantlable and therefore repairable) and for assembling aerials or sensors in the electronics industry.
