Great overview of adhesives, Ann. I was recently fortunate enough to take a tour of one of the Fabrico facilities, and it's really interesting to see the sophisticated layering process, utilizing adhesives, by which the end products are manufactured and QC's (via machine vision) as they go down the line.
Ann, thanks for the whirlwind tour through the world of fastening. You covered a lot in this article!
My first reaction when you mentioned a shear strength of 1000 psi for a structural adhesive was that it seemed very small compared to the shear strength of a Grade 8 bolt (around 100,000 psi). Then it occurred to me that, with an adhesive, the load can be spread out over a much larger area.
As a rough approximation, for a structural adhesive with a shear strength of 1000 psi, 7.5 square inches of adhesive should be able to withstand the same load as a 3/8-16 Grade 8 bolt. Neat!
Interestingly, although cost is always an issue, most vendors mentioned the differences in function and problems to be solved between fasteners and adhesives. And when it came to cost, what most (adhesives) vendors mentioned regarding the cost differentials had to do with lower cost processes for applying adhesives, not a difference in the cost of materials or the items as such.
Nice article, Ann. I didn't realize the wide range of uses for adhesives. You mention the economic advantages of adhesives in the manufacturing process. I would imagine there is also an economic advantage is the cost of materials. Most mechanical fasteners are probably far more expensive than adhesives.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
