Suppliers, customers and channel players in China’s silicone sealant industry agree that the best products come from foreign brands. They also agree that customers are demanding higher and higher quality sealant products.

Silicone joint sealants from Dow Corning Corp. were selected for use in the reconstruction of the primary runway at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Md.

I am developing an adhesive for an application that requires heat resistance greater than 80°C. A formulation based on a waterborne polyurethane polymer currently provides the best adhesion to the substrate and is a fit for the application process. What approaches can be used to achieve the required level of elevated temperature performance?

Polyolefin-based, hot-melt adhesives have proven their advantages in various fields of adhesive applications in recent decades. In the last 10 years, a new generation of polyolefins have been introduced, showing new and value-adding properties for the hot-melt adhesive customer.

For technical applications that require some form of adhesion, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) usually offer the best value, given their affordability, ease of use and clean application, when compared to alternative bonding options like mechanical fasteners or liquid adhesives.

Industry professionals will be exposed to new trends, technologies and topical expertise at the Adhesive and Sealant Council’s (ASC) Fall Convention & Expo, which will take place next month at the Hilton Minneapolis in Minneapolis.

Most manufacturers are currently or have been involved in some form of lean process. Your company may be well down the path or just starting out, or your customers or suppliers may be going lean. The Lean Enterprise Institute characterizes lean as “creating more value for customers with fewer resources.”

I'm writing this column in the midst of a very busy week. Sometime between conference calls and podcast recordings, I realized how little time I now need to spend on tasks that—even just a few years ago—took up the majority of my day.

This issue of Adhesives & Sealants Industry magazine brings the ASI Top 25, our exclusive ranking of the top 25 manufacturers of adhesives and sealants.