Guide to Adhesives and Sealants

Adhesive products and industrial sealants can help hold your business together

By Stephanie Fagnani, Freelance Writer/Editor

1. Manufacturers of adhesive materials offer thousands of customizable products.
2. Industrial sealants with accelerated aging speed up the results of normal weathering.
3. The vast array of adhesives and sealants on the market are designed for specific uses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use adhesive products for items that require surface attachment

Pressure sensitive adhesive materials that require only a light touch for maximum bonding power are often used in the medical, industrial, pharmaceutical and electronics industries. Textile adhesive products are useful for bonding flexible foams and garment-quality textiles like fur and leather. Polyurethane adhesive materials provide resilient, impact-resistant joints and are useful for bonding glass fiber reinforced plastics.

I recommend: Find a wide variety of industrial adhesives at Adhesive Central. The adhesive products sold at Adhesives Plus include epoxies, bulk adhesives and glue sticks. Bondline Electronic Adhesives specializes in epoxy and film adhesives designed for electronics. If you are concerned about staying green, Princeton Keynes formulates environmentally friendly adhesive products. Daubert Chemical Company sells general-purpose adhesive products, as well as special adhesives for use on cars and golf clubs.

Close the gap with industrial sealants

Like adhesive products, sealant materials are available in a variety of forms including liquids, aerosols, powders, gels, putties and pastes. They are used mostly in construction to prevent leaks by acting as a filler between gaps and seams.

I recommend: Cyberbond sells a variety of sealant materials for use with glass, metal, plastic and metal pipes. Loctite sells liquid thread sealants to seal metal pipes and fittings. For industrial sealants for tough construction and repair applications, visit Geocel.

Use the right application tools for your adhesives and sealants

You'll be in trouble if you try to apply industrial adhesives and industrial sealants with your bare hands. Take a look at some of these dispensing devices and make sure those adhesives and sealants melt on your project and not on your hands.

I recommend: Glue Machinery sells many of the application tools you need, such as hot melt handguns that dispense adhesive materials on demand. At Adhesive Technologies, you can find adhesive applicators for standard duty, heavy duty, industrial heavy duty and spray bulk. ToolBarn.com sells a number of applicators for sealant materials, including cordless caulking guns and clamps and spreaders for applying industrial sealants.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Not all adhesives and sealants are created equal, so make sure you select the correct product for the type of surface that needs bonding.
• •  If you get industrial adhesives on your skin, soak the affected area in warm water or try using some nail polish remover.
• •  Solid wood tends to shrink and expand based on temperature and humidity, so use expandable silicone sealant materials when fitting and filling expansion gaps.