Henkel at Engine Expo: to Showcase Moisture-reactive Laminating Adhesive for Vehicle Interiors & more

With the automotive industrys fast-growing use of lightweight technologies and sustainable products, plus the ever present desire to reduce process cost, increasing attention is also now being given to innovative solutions for vehicle interiors. Taking place in Stuttgart from June 4 to June 6, "Engine Expo 2013" - Europes most important international trade fair for engine technologies - will be featuring a special show entitled "Automotive Interiors Expo" dedicated to the passenger compartment. Henkel will also be participating here, showcasing at its stand not only products for the manufacture of powertrains but also comprehensive single-source solutions for the assembly, installation and lamination of high-quality interior components.

Henkel offers a wide range of product systems for various applications in the production of vehicle interiors. Due to their suitability for aluminum alloy components, Henkels high-performance structural adhesives, for example, enable the increased integration of these light metals in advanced multimaterial concepts. As the world market leader in the field of adhesives, sealants and surface treatment, Henkel also provides products for corrosion protection, as well as specialty laminating adhesives for various applications in the finishing of vehicle interiors. With its sustainable product solutions, the company thus contributes not only to a safer working environment; it also reduces the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions that occur during the associated production processes. More efficient - and thus less expensive - finishing operations are facilitated by the fact that modern adhesives can be applied directly to polypropylene surfaces without pretreatment, thus eliminating such activities from the production chain.

Moisture-reactive laminating adhesive for interior components

With Technomelt PUR 9720, Henkel has developed a new polyurethane-based hotmelt suitable for use in a wide range of assembly and lamination applications involving automotive interior components such as door panels, headliners and dashboards. The product, which can be applied under conventional laminating conditions, is characterized by exceptional strength values, even during the cooling phase. Under summer conditions particularly, this results in very short cycle times in laminating and assembly processes. At elevated ambient temperatures, conventional adhesives require longer cooling times which, in turn, lead to longer cycle times. Technomelt PUR 9720 is characterized not only by its very good application and wetting properties on plastic substrates, but also by its good chemical resistance, particularly to plasticizers, which makes the adhesive highly suitable for the lamination of PVC films on plastics.

Bonding of plastic components without surface pretreatment

Henkel has developed a new polyolefin-based hotmelt in the form of Technomelt XPO 1050, which is particularly suitable for the bonding of components of polypropylene without the need for pretreatment of the plastic surface. The adhesive can be applied using conventional metering systems for reactive hotmelts and is characterized by its wide adhesion spectrum, extending even to polar plastic substrates such as ABS. Due to its long reactivation time after adhesive application and its ability to bond disparate materials, Technomelt XPO 1050 lends itself to a broad array of assembly and laminating processes for the manufacture of headliners, door panels, sun visors and seat trim parts.

Technomelt XPO 1050 adds to Henkels successful range of reactive hotmelts which, through their non-toxic composition, contribute to improving workplace safety. The product supplements the non-hazardous and thus label-free polyurethane adhesives of the MicroEmission range already widely used for various applications in automotive interiors.

The "Automotive Interiors Expo" takes place as part of "Engine Expo" from June 4 to June 6, 2013 in Stuttgart. At the multi-themed Henkel booth, Stand number 3610, experts will be available to provide a wide range of information on the companys diverse spectrum of products both for the manufacture and assembly of automotive interiors and for the production of powertrain components.

Technomelt is a registered trademark of Henkel and/or its affiliates in Germany and elsewhere.

About Henkel

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel employs about 47,000 people and reported sales of 16,510 million euros and adjusted operating profit of 2,335 million euros in fiscal 2012. Henkels preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.