POWDERBOND

Developing powder coatings for contact curing of structural adhesives for vehicle bonding applications

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Adhesive bonding technologies are a substitute for joining processes such as welding which offer vehicle designers the potential to select from a wider range of lightweight materials for vehicle design and construction. The ability to use lightweight materials allows vehicles to maximise fuel efficiency. Current adhesive bonding methods require an energy intensive oven cure process. Furthermore, oven curing has the potential to warp a chassis / vehicle constructed from dissimilar materials. If low energy manufacturing and lightweight construction is to be achieved novel bonding technologies that result in lighter, higher performance and more efficient vehicles with less energy used and lower costs of manufacture must be developed. PowderBond will address the issue of having to oven curing adhesives by developing a 1K epoxy adhesive system that is designed to deliver on-demand curing at low temperature (70°C). We will develop a low temperature cure powder coating (120°C) for primary structures (e.g. chassis components) which will deliver corrosion protection and the catalyst for initiating cure of the epoxy adhesive. The powder coating containing the catalyst will be pre-applied to one of the adherent surfaces (component parts) to be joined and supplied to the vehicle OEM. The 1K adhesive component will be applied to the second adherent surface prior to joining in-line with current adhesive assembly line methods. The PowderBond adhesive system will not require an oven cure at high temperature to achieve bond strength.

PowderBond will enable SMEs tier suppliers to add value to supplied components by helping vehicle manufacturers lower manufacturing carbon footprint and meet obligations regarding vehicle CO2 emission through light-weighting. This will help European SMEs to consolidate their position in the supply-chain and maintain a supply-chain opportunity for future vehicle design.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Adhesive bonding can increase the range of lightweight materials used by car manufacturers, but the high-temperature curing required is problematic. A novel formulation compatible with low temperature curing will have major impact.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Welding is an important joining process that has been used extensively in the automotive industry to join two similar materials, usually metals or polymers, through melting and coalescence. Adhesive bonding can expand the range of materials to be joined, facilitating important decreases in fuel consumption and associated emissions. However, current methods require energy-intensive curing at very high temperatures. Further, the thermal conditions can be detrimental to components made of dissimilar materials.

A novel powder coating system with an integrated catalyst for low-temperature curing is under development with EU support of the project http://powderbond.eu/ (POWDERBOND). Application and assembly is envisioned to be compatible with current adhesive assembly methods and machinery. The technology will enable manufacturers to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of their activities while delivering cars with much lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions. Overall, it will foster a competitive position for EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the supply chain for current and future automobiles.

The team has developed a low-temperature contact-cure resin-catalyst formulation whose curing speed can be controlled by catalyst concentration. It is currently being optimised.

Scientists have also identified the low-temperature powder coat and are investigating three different routes to incorporate the catalyst. Tests show that enhancing surface roughness of the powder coat improves bond strength, a parameter to be further investigated during upcoming optimisations.

POWDERBOND low-temperature adhesive bonding technology will address many of the current limitations of established bonding methodologies. It eliminates the need for a high temperature curing oven, thus reducing processing time, complexity and energy consumption. It enables adhesive bonding of dissimilar materials, being specially formulated for both chassis and component assemblies.

Finally, bond properties will be improved relative to established methods and production is compatible with current production flow for minimal investment. Overall, the technology will make life much simpler for European SMEs while increasing their competitive position in a large global market sector.