… the technical textiles of our HEYboat mare range can also be glued.
Last week we showed how to weld the products of our mare range, but today we will talk about another joining method. No matter if PVC or TPU coating, the textiles of our mare range can also be glued. The bonding of coated textiles is a very flexible joining process that can also be used to realize demanding geometries. However, in order to obtain a sufficiently good bond, a few details must be taken into account.
Adhesive selection:
The adhesive should be matched to the material and have the characteristics required for the application. We recommend polyurethane (PU) based contact adhesives for our products. For inflatable applications, an additional hardener component should always be used. With the common PU contact adhesives for soft PVC applications, these hardener components are usually offered as an option.
The additional hardener increases the lifetime of the bond and ensures sufficient hydrolysis stability. As inflatable boats are exposed to water, the strength of the bond would otherwise quickly deteriorate. Depending on the application, the viscosity of the adhesive can be adjusted by adding a suitable solvent. This may be particularly necessary for very large areas to be bonded or complicated seam geometries. Simply contact us with a description of your bonding project and we will give you a suitable recommendation.
Preparation:
To obtain a sufficiently strong bond, it is very important to prepare the joints well. The bonding surfaces must be dry, clean and free of grease before bonding. Particularly in the case of TPU-coated goods, it is essential to clean the surface with a suitable solvent. Residues of processing aids on the surface would otherwise lead to a significant loss of strength of the bond.
Processing:
After the parts to be joined have been prepared, the actual bonding can take place. For this purpose, the adhesive is first applied using a suitable application method. In the case of technical textiles, it is best to apply the adhesive with the aid of a brush, so that even a textured textile can be evenly coated with adhesive. After the adhesive has been applied, a flash-off period takes place; information on the duration can be found in the adhesive’s data sheet.
Depending on the product, it may be advisable to apply a second coat of adhesive after the flash-off time; information on this can also be found in the adhesive data sheet. Now the parts to be bonded can be joined and pressed. The adhesive effect of contact adhesives is based on physical processes and not on a chemical reaction. It is therefore important to apply a sufficiently high pressing pressure. The strength is determined by the amount of pressing pressure and not by the duration. Depending on the adhesive, final strength is reached after approx. 48 hours. Compared with the welding process, joining by means of adhesive bonding is quite complex. However, this process is very flexible, there are no high investment costs and the strengths are at a comparable level to welding.
Do you have any questions? Contact our experts at texineering@heytex.com
Leister