Adhesives on guard

Newcastle based Advanced Adhesives was tasked with joining a difficult to bond material, (high talc filled Polypropylene), for the manufacture and assembly of 2 separate mouldings of a motorcycle mudguard assembly.

The initial production application was for a plastic welding solution to assemble the components, but it wasn’t satisfactory. The mudguards on the machines concerned have a hard time in service, being exposed to the elements almost permanently and subjected to extremes of temperature as well as the distinct possibility of being bashed too. Tests revealed that the welded assemblies were failing, so an alternative joining solution was required.

PP3000 from Advanced Adhesives was submitted to the customer to trial and immediately proved successful: the bond strength was greater than the welded components and also proved to be stronger than the talc filled PP itself, with substrate failure occurring before the bonded assemblies. In addition to the strength improvement the aesthetic appearance of the components was enhanced by smoother joint lines and a better looking finished component.

Subsequently, PP3000 was introduced by Advanced Adhesives' customer as its preferred solution for the application and has been part of the production process for some time now.