Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
Well-founded knowledge of all those involved is becoming increasingly important for successful adhesive bonding and at the same time this seems to be the biggest challenge. This is an overarching result of this year's survey on adhesive bonding technology, in which around 90 people took part. We spoke to Holger Best, Content Manager at the topic-focused knowledge management service provider ISGATEC GmbH, about the latest survey results.
Mr. Best, what is your perspective on the topic of adhesive bonding technology in general?
As Content Manager of the knowledge management service provider ISGATEC, I have been providing journalistic coverage of "adhesive bonding" - one of our three key topics - for more than ten years. My perspective therefore results from regular contact with experts via our media and events and from the aim of sensitizing people to the relevant topics relating to successful bonding.
One result of the survey on adhesive bonding technology is that current trends such as ecology, sustainability and new mobility are placing increasing demands on the development of adhesive bonding technology. Sound knowledge on the part of all those involved is becoming increasingly important and appears to be the greatest challenge. What recommendations for action can be derived from this?
Essentially, it's about understanding, knowledge and communication, and this for life, or as long as you are involved in adhesive bonding. This should also be seen in a wider context: The adhesive bonding process is complex. There is no significant basic training in adhesive bonding at universities and only a few in training programs. Project requirements are increasing, especially as the adhesive bonding technology "bonding" is also entering "new territory" in the course of trends such as new mobility, lightweight construction or material diversity. In this "field of tension", it is crucial to know what is important or to know the people who can help you at an early stage.
Anyone who realizes that they have gaps in their knowledge should therefore take advantage of the available training courses (for example at the Fraunhofer IFAM). Events at the Fraunhofer IFAM or at ISGATEC as well as media and information services such as DICHT!, Adhäsion, association information from the IVK or Technischer Handel are also useful sources of information. They also offer the opportunity to build and maintain a network.
You mentioned communicative exchange and lifelong learning: what does that look like in concrete terms?
Many parties are involved in the adhesive bonding process of products - in the companies, but also suppliers and service providers. Adhesive Bonding is not a static joining technology - it continues to develop, as do the demands placed on it. The latter can vary greatly from industry to industry. A necessary level of knowledge (state of the art) therefore inevitably means lifelong learning and communication with all those involved. And this should go beyond small-scale projects.
One question in the survey related to the influence of adhesive bonding on different industries. One conclusion is that adhesive bonding is influencing developments in a wide range of industries and has the potential to become the joining technology of the 21st century. How would you relate the thesis of "missing knowledge as a common thread" to the individual industries? Are there any sectors that have a particular need to catch up?
No, if an industry uses this joining technology on a large scale, such as automotive, rail vehicle construction, electronics and construction, then knowledgeable and communicative people are needed along the bonding value chain - from the design of the components to be bonded to quality assurance - keyword "product safety". In my opinion, there is more of a need for people who view bonding processes holistically rather than just functionally. Employees in areas such as design, production, system planning and quality assurance etc. must therefore communicate with suppliers (adhesives, joining parts, system technology, logistics etc.) at an early stage.
One example: It is important to understand the adhesive bonding process from the perspective of the respective work function. This is why this year, for example, we are offering the online forum "Optimizing the design of bonded joints". The aim of the event is to show designers what needs to be considered when designing components to be bonded in terms of adhesive selection, pre-treatment, dosing and curing to achieve the project goals that have been set.
A further conclusion on the trends was that bonding will play a major role in connection with New Mobility and the associated trend towards lightweight construction. The values on the topic of "ecology and sustainability" show that the categorization and opinion-forming on this topic has only just begun. The hypothesis is that adhesive bonding can do more here than is often assumed. How can the provision of knowledge in adhesive bonding have a positive effect on sustainability?
From the perspective of "sustainability", I think there is currently a lot of discussion about chemical products, i.e. adhesives, and the challenges of recycling. Prof Dr Groß has broadened the discussion to consider bonding in the context of the nine "R strategies". In my opinion, this makes a lot of sense, as it leads to an extended, target-oriented assessment of bonding. Despite all efforts, adhesives will foreseeably remain "chemistry" to a large extent. However, "chemistry" is not the problem if it is used responsibly and holistically. Here too, knowledge of the complex interrelationships involved in bonding is the key to using this joining technology in a way that optimizes the ecological balance.
Which results have particularly surprised you?
The surprise is not so much a single result as the fact that values hardly change over the years. Some examples are: "bonding processes are sometimes not understood" and "the significance of cleaning and pre-treatment is underestimated". Gaps in knowledge" become clear here. Another aspect is: "When bonding, it is also important that everyone involved sits around a table and communicates at the earliest possible stage." We have already discussed this topic above.
If you look at such assessments of the participants over the years, you get the feeling that certain developments or the realization of insights in practice take a very long time. However, it must be clearly stated here that the surveys provide a selective insight into market assessments. We also do not know whether the same people always take part. The results can therefore only serve to sensitize us to certain aspects.
But perhaps the low level of "movement" is also due to a fundamental problem. A lot of "sticky knowledge" is currently retiring. On the other hand, there are a wide variety of further training courses and quality measures, such as the DIN 2304 standard, but hardly any vocational training or specializations in university degree courses. It also appears that the transfer of knowledge from "old to young" does not always function optimally. As a result, adhesive bonding knowledge is probably only growing slowly overall.
The assessments are analyzed separately for users and manufacturing or supplying companies. What results and recommendations for action can be concluded regarding the lack of knowledge and further training for these two target groups?
We make this subdivision to gain insight into the different perceptions of topics. These are indications of the need for action and communication. However, as already mentioned, it is much more important that participants from both groups sit around the same table as early as possible in small-scale projects, communicate and meet on an equal footing in terms of knowledge. ISGATEC has a freely usable checklist for bonding projects on its website, for example. This does not necessarily have to be worked through. However, the list shows how wide the range of topics surrounding adhesive bonding is. And experts will probably say that important points have been forgotten in this checklist. This is why the checklist is also subject to regular adjustment. And in essence, it is also about making complex processes tangible and sensitizing people to certain aspects. It can also be used in project meetings. Here, however, it is important that these discussions are conducted by all participants on an equal footing. Otherwise, the meetings quickly become unproductive - listening, understanding and finding a solution together - that's the way to go.
Thank you very much for the interview, Mr Best!