Bonding is a process of joining two materials or components together. There are also applications where glue is used to add a protective finish.

Bonding is a rather broad type of manufacturing process, which requires special knowledge. Bonded joints have many advantages, for example, glue can join different materials, adhesives are lightweight and take up vibration and shock.

There are several different techniques to apply adhesives. Which technology is suitable depends on the material, strength requirements and adhesive joint appearance. It is important to know that there are several different types of adhesives that react and that are applied in different ways. A common type is drying glue, which hardens by solvent evaporation. Another is a thermosetting adhesive which allows a curing agent reacting with a base to obtain a glue joint. A third variant is adhesive is heated and then the liquid that solidifies as it cools. In addition to the above-mentioned, additional types of glue-like products, such as dissolving of the surfaces of two materials so that they can be joined together exist. Such a weld-like joint is sometimes used in plastics to be joined. There are also types of adhesives which can be sprayed onto surfaces, for example, to laminate printed circuit boards to protect against moisture.

Depending on the surfaces' properties a pretreatment may be required, so that the glue adheres in the best way possible.

Nowadays, a large number of products across all industries are glued. In many cases, bonding is a superior method for joining or fixing two components together. There are workshops that are focused within bonding who can undertake quite complex tasks.

Picture: Techmould Ltd