Fastening metal objects together traditionally involves techniques such as welding, soldering or rivets. But these methods aren’t suitable in all circumstances. Fortunately, there are alternatives that allow metal components to be joined safely and securely.
Using metal bonding adhesive is increasingly common in industry and can be a fast and innovative way of streamlining manufacturing techniques. Lotus cars, for example, use a bonding process for their aluminium chassis components. This streamlines the assembly process and keeps down the finished weight. For bonding to be successful, though, it’s important that surfaces are properly prepared.
Cleaning
In order to achieve a strong and reliable bond, surfaces need to be properly cleaned. Dirt, grease and other surface contamination all need to be removed before bonding. This can be done using solvents, but it’s important that traces of these are removed afterwards too and the surfaces properly dried.
Other mechanical techniques can also be used, such as sand-blasting or wire-brushing. These can not only remove dirt but also apply a texture to the surface which can provide a key for the adhesive.
Surface Preparation
As well as cleaning, it may be that the surface needs further treatment in order to make a successful join. For bonding adhesives from companies such as http://www.ct1ltd.com/en to be successful, it’s often necessary for the surface to be roughened or keyed.
As we’ve already said, abrasive techniques like sanding, wire-brushing and sand- or shot-blasting can achieve this at the same time as cleaning off surface debris. How much preparation of the surface is needed will depend on the type of metal being used and how strong the completed join needs to be. Modern computer-controlled machine tools make it possible to apply a surface treatment accurately to the portions of a component to be bonded rather than having to treat the whole surface.
Chemical preparation of the surface is another option. This could be in the form of an acid etch, for example. Again, thorough cleaning is needed afterwards to remove any traces of the acid before the adhesive is applied. Of course, when using any type of hazardous chemical, it’s vital to observe the appropriate health and safety precautions.
With the components properly prepared, an adhesive bond should provide a strong and reliable join for both fixing metal to metal and metal to other materials.