Adhesives which are also known as glue are utilized to form and keep the bond between two surfaces. They are formulated by mixing or compounding the base materials with more additives such as fillers, stabilizers, and pigments to achieve the desired properties of applications at a reasonable cost. These products can be categorized according to two primary markets namely, consumers and industrial. The market of industrial adhesive is accounted for nearly about 80% of the Canadian market. Manufacturers provide a broad range of adhesives used by the primary end-use industries, such as automotive, packaging, furniture, and construction.
Industrial adhesives that are classified as low-to-medium performance adhesives are usually made using natural substances like natural rubber or protein, starch, or synthetic polymers. On the other hand, the high-performance adhesives are formulated on polymers such as silicone, polyurethane, cyanoacrylate, and epoxy. A high-performing industrial adhesive has great properties such as durability, bond strength, elongation capacity, among many others.
Overall, the adhesive industry is very fragmented with various types of products available, a lot of markets, and users. Over the past years, the major trend in the industry leans toward concentration through mergers and acquisitions. This trend is projected to provide great access to new technology and product innovation, providing in turn easy access to emerging markets. Behind the technological changes, however, lie the environmental and health issues of producing industrial adhesive. In most cases, the pressure to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds required reformulation of products and shift the demand to water-based formulations.
Water-based formulations of industrial adhesive are becoming more and more popular, yet solvent-based products are still required in applications where desired performance is needed. Apart from moving to water-based adhesive formulations, another option is to reduce the amount of solvent utilized the same as in the case of hot-melt products that are valuable in elevated temperatures. Another alternative would be using the less harmful solvents that can meet the stricter implementation of safer manufacturing standards.
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