Showa Denko Considers Mass-production of Film-Type Adhesive to Bond Dissimilar Materials, Aiming to Contribute to Reduction of Automotive Industry’s CO2 Emissions

― SDK Also Aims to Reduce CO2 Emissions through Efficient Production of Electronic Materials including Printed Circuit Board— ―

August 31, 2022
Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) (Tokyo: 4004) has started to consider mass-production of film-type adhesive that utilizes “WelQuickTM,”※1 a film-type material that can strongly bond dissimilar materials together within a few seconds. Bonding process with this new product will consume less man-hour and electricity than those with conventional liquid adhesives which require long-time heating to cure, thereby reducing CO2 emissions from manufacturing process. Aiming to take these advantages of the new adhesive and help the automotive industry and the electronic material industry pursue carbon neutrality, which is demanded by society, SDK has started to consider mass-production of the film-type adhesive that utilizes WelQuickTM from 2023.

The background of the start of consideration for mass-production of the adhesive

Under the global trend toward carbon neutrality, the automotive industry is now facing social demand for reduction of CO2 emissions during not only driving but also production of cars. Car manufacturers are now asking their suppliers to provide parts and materials that contribute to reduction of CO2 emissions. In addition, the automotive industry has been promoting “multi-materialization” of automotive parts, which utilizes composite of resins, metals, and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). For example, car bodies made from composite of high-strength steel plates and aluminum improve fuel-efficiency, environmental performance, and safety of cars. Automotive parts made from composite of magnesium alloy and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics contribute to weight saving of cars. Aiming to take such advantages of composite parts, carmakers have been asking manufacturers of automotive materials to develop advanced technology to joint or bond dissimilar materials.

The new film-type adhesive made from WelQuickTM concurrently achieves these two trends of the times required for automotive materials, namely “reduction of CO2 emissions” and “multi-materialization.” As compared to conventional liquid adhesives, this new product is more convenient to handle because it has the form of a film and bonds materials by utilizing the phase change※2 between solid and liquid. It can strongly bond materials through application of heat and pressure for a few seconds. Thus this product is ready to promote multi-materialization of automotive parts. Bonding with this new product consumes less man-hour than binding with conventional bolts or screws. Furthermore, this new adhesive does not need hardening through long-time high-temperature heating. Therefore, it enables manufacturers to reduce production time, electricity consumption, and CO2 emissions. The Showa Denko Group has been supplying samples of WelQuickTM since 2021. This time, the Group decided to consider mass-production of WelQuickTM because the demand for materials that contribute to reduction of CO2 emissions is expected to increase due to a rise in social need for decarbonization.

Results of application development

As a result of our application development effort, we confirmed that, in the field of automotive materials, this adhesive is applicable to many uses including bonding of bumper reinforcements and automobile body, and bonding and sealing between metallic terminals and molding resin, used around inverters and motors installed in electric and hybrid vehicles. In addition, in the field of electronic materials, this new adhesive can splice rolled printed circuit board with high reproducibility and heating time shorter than that for conventional adhesive tape. Furthermore, this new adhesive is a non-tacky film and does not cause volatile organic compounds (VOC). Thus this adhesive reduces environmental burden, and contributes to solution of various problems. The Showa Denko Group will continue developing this new adhesive’s applications in wide-ranging fields.

The Showa Denko Group will continue providing new solutions for various business fields by utilizing its wide-ranging high-level technologies and materials pertaining to organics, inorganics, and metals, thereby contributing to sustainable development of society.

Examples of application development (bonding of structural members for automobiles, bonding of metallic terminals and resins, and roll-to-roll splicing)

  • ※1 For detail please refer to the news release, “Showa Denko Develops WelQuickTM to Bond Dissimilar Materials Quickly新規ウィンドウで開く,” announced on June 28, 2021.
  • ※2 Phase change is a physical phenomenon in which the phase of material (gas, liquid, or solid) changes because of changes in temperature and pressure. The above new technology utilizes phase change of the adhesive from solid to liquid (liquidation) and that from liquid to solid (solidification).

For further information, contact

Public Relations Group, Brand Communication Department