Not only does Henkel's Loctite brand have a comprehensive choice of hazard label-free products in the form of its Health and Safety range, the company is also developing new adhesive technologies that are safe to use yet have special application benefits too.

The new, Loctite Universal Structural Bonders demonstrate how user and environmental safety can be achieved without compromising performance. These products owe many of their attributes to new, patented hybrid technology that combines the qualities of many adhesive technologies to achieve bond strength, fast fixture speed and durability.  

The new hybrid adhesives provide improved performance on a variety of substrates and the versatility to solve many more design, assembly, maintenance and repair challenges. Structural bonding allows different materials to be combined and creates uniform stress distribution over the bond face which makes a significant contribution to the durability and reliability of the product or system.

Loctite HY 4090 is said to have the potential to improve assembly applications, streamline process steps and bond materials in applications with difficult requirements. This adhesive provides excellent bond strength of plastic/metal combinations and on rubber materials. Fast fixturing reduces assembly time and a robust cure is quickly achieved even at low temperatures and when there is a relatively large gap between substrates.

For engineers seeking methods to optimise efficiency and reduce costs while keeping plant running smoothly and safely, Loctite HY 4070 is a solution. Although suitable for most applications where a 60-second fixture is required, it is particularly good where variable gaps up to 5mm between mixed substrates are involved.