Sustaining Bonds at Foam Expo Europe 2023
Electric mobility and other sustainable solutions are changing the globe today and impacting the world of foam, as reflected at Foam Expo Europe 2023. One example of the influential trends contributing to sustainability is Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV). Discover more about this movement from our Tape Solutions team, who just returned from the show.
Sustainability is omnipresent
Conserving resources and minimizing environmental impacts is currently one of the most important tasks. Accordingly, these topics were top of mind at Foam Expo Europe. Whether it came up in discussions with visitors, within exhibitor messaging and displays or as the main topic of the conference, it was evident that sustainability affects the entire industry and is coming into focus more than ever. It is no surprise that our high-performance acrylic adhesive tapes, made with innovative UV curing technology, were of high interest. With this technology, we can combine high-end functionality without the use of solvents. Additionally, water consumption is not required during the coating process and, overall, these acrylic tapes require less energy consumption compared to other technologies. The result: in high-performance tapes that help our customers better achieve sustainability goals.
Minimize assembly time, risk, costs, and chemical waste with innovative primerless bonding
Our latest innovation for primerless automotive bonding in Europe, the Norbond® Z3000 Series (Z3100 Series in North America), was a true highlight at the show as it has been designed to add value that goes beyond excellent performance under extreme conditions. In providing outstanding adhesion to LSE (Low Surface Energy), MSE (Medium Surface Energy) plastics and painted surfaces, this product line facilitates assembly processes, eliminates the need for pre-treatments with chemicals and minimizes risks, costs, and chemical waste.
High-end foams on the rise
Traditionally, Foam Expo visitors are looking for what is new and hot in foams. New PU and PVC materials that help create more efficient environmental sealing and dampening in construction or automotive applications attracted many visitors. Especially in construction, options to create more energy efficient building envelopes with foam gaskets and membrane tapes in modern pre-fabrication and construction technologies are on the rise.
A new focus area of the tradeshow was thermal management. Our leading silicone foam materials were on top of the list in terms of interest from booth visitors — especially our silicone Thermal Runaway Protection, Thermal Interface Materials or Compression Pads were the hot topics as solutions to control the heat in EV batteries and other applications.
Customizing for Maximum Benefit
It was impressive to see so many different applications and special needs where our materials can be the solution. In many cases, existing products are available but talking to the visitors at our booth underlined that benefits and added value can be maximized through custom solutions. Contact your local expert and let us find the right solutions for your challenges together. Our team and dedicated R&D resources and processes are here to start a reliable connection.
