Technical knowhow provides adhesives edge

UK adhesives manufacturer Chemence prides itself on offering customers a rapid, flexible R and D, laboratory testing and technical support service.

When it comes to industrial adhesives, Chemence, the UK's leading manufacturer of high-tech industrial adhesives based in Corby, Northamptonshire, believes it differentiates itself from competitors by being able to offer customers very rapid, flexible, value-added technical support services, including use of its R and D and test laboratories.

Part of this comes from the fact that Chemence has developed very streamlined and rapid processes for R and D decision-making and project development.

Corporate overhead and bureaucracy are therefore kept to an absolute minimum, therefore allowing the company to be more flexible, adaptable and able to respond faster to customer requests.

But that's not all.

All the important back-up documentation that engineers need to have these days - technical data sheets, material safety data sheets, application-specific technical information, new product development and performance testing - are all handled at Chemence's Corby headquarters by a team of experienced engineers and PhD chemists.

Individual formulations are developed for specific, often unique applications.

Another advantage of Chemence's flexible approach to R and D is that the company is able to customise products for special applications requiring volumes that would not even be considered by larger, less flexible organisations.

Whatever type of bonding problem design engineers or OEMs face, Chemence is confident it can solve it.

Having expertise in chemistry and, in particular, outstanding practical experience and understanding of polymer and resin technology also helps.

As John Wade, R and D Manager at Chemence comments: "To meet specific design criteria, our team of outstanding product development specialists swiftly design and optimise the structure and composition of our adhesive products aided by sophisticated analysis and optimisation tools".

Wade explains the benefits of this approach: "We translate the customer's technical specification into an adhesive product that we may already stock, or if necessary, we can rapidly design to meet the specification".

"We look at specific properties and interactions and then optimise the performance of the adhesive for a given application".

"This might include the bonding of two very different materials such as a metal and a polymer or even the latest high performance composites".

Wade says he can optimise an adhesive for a bond by looking at the nature and availability of functional groups on each of the substrate surfaces, within the adhesive itself, and by quantifying the intrinsic strength of the adhesive in its cured state.

The rate of cure and specific functionality and application requirements of the bonder guide the routing of the design and formulation optimisation.

It's all about chemistry really, and this is why Chemence currently employs six PhD chemists at its R and D function in Corby.

According to Wade, customers now want simpler adhesive and sealant: products that they can use with the minimum of preparation.

In addition, recent EU legislation and guidelines require manufacturers to use more environmentally-friendly adhesives in their end products.

"Again, all of this requires expert analysis and understanding of adhesive formulations to produce optimised products for clients", says Wade.

Chemence manufactures a wide range of adhesives and sealants for global industrial and consumer markets.

The industrial sector is of key importance to the firm with its flagship industrial brand called RiteLok.

The Corby site houses all the functions from R and D through to the actual manufacturing and packaging of the products.

According to the company's Marketing Executive Duncan Spall: "It means we can react very quickly to customer needs and can also bring new products to market faster than most of our competitors".

"We also pride ourselves on being able to offer customers first class R and D support and test facilities, as well as excellent technical support".

Chemence supplies its industrial products into a diverse range of industry sectors, including electric motors; agricultural equipment; automotive; electronics; medical devices; aerospace and defence.

The firm also manufactures liquid photopolymer for use in flexographic printing, anaerobic sealants and cement grouts for gas mains and service systems, and vacuum impregnation resins for cast sealing.

The company's industrial adhesives range includes cyanoacrylates, structural adhesives, anaerobic adhesives, and primers and activators.

The company also offers UV (ultra-violet) light-curing adhesives for glass-to-glass and glass-to-metal bonding, potting and for encapsulating electronic and medical devices.

According to Spall, while maintenance and the aftermarket are key target sectors for Chemence, getting the technical support/R and D message to design engineers and persuading them to change their adhesives supplier is where the company excels.

"Many of our customer wins come from our value added technical support services and lab testing - up front consultancy if you like".

"It's where the future of our business lies".

"If we are able to display our technical knowhow and expertise to the customer, we usually win the business".

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