The label, created by the Solar Impulse Foundation, recognizes efficient solutions that are sustainable and profitable. With Addibond Solvay now has 13 products that carry this label. "Optimized adhesion of metal-to-metal bonds enables vehicle manufacturers to reduce or eliminate the multitude of fasteners in aluminum components - a key factor in lightweight vehicle construction," says Dr. Marie-Pierre Labeau, Metal Treatment Platform Project Leader at Solvay. "This has led to the need to improve the reliability of metal-to-metal joints, for which the right surface treatment is critical."
Solvay's Addibond polymers were specifically developed to provide a metal surface pretreatment that ensures the strongest bonded joints. In this process, two functional groups work together: One that reacts with the metal substrate, usually before it is formed, and one that reacts with the adhesive during assembly. The advantages of Addibond for adhesive bonding have been repeatedly recognized in the industry. For example, the polymers were awarded the French Prix Pierre Potier and the China Automotive and Parts Industry Development Innovation Award in 2021.