Easier to Handle and More Consistent Strength than Alternatives

Owens Woodwork and Fiberglass Manufacturing creates fiberglass structures for a wide array of applications. Several examples would be giant pineapples for an amusement park, large decorative columns for a casino, and very ornate decorative fencing. For these complex designs, the structure must normally be molded in several pieces and adhesively assembled. The adhesive joint could either be a tight fitting joint or a joint made by filling in the large gaps between the pieces. Pix above shows an application with a ½” wide gap. Once bonded, the excess adhesive is removed with a putty knife and the adhesive is allowed to cure. The joint is then manually sanded and the final assembly is painted. The adhesive must provide structural strength, have sufficient open time to be dispensed on large parts, and it must be compatible with sanding and painting.

Replaces Expensive Shrink Fit, Reduces Assembly Time and Costs

Interference fit methods of press fit or shrink fit are commonly used for joining cylindrical parts. The bonding is provided by the friction between mating surfaces. In shrink fit mating parts have a high degree of interference and fit together either by heating or cooling the components. Shrink fit needs requires heating equipment and creates bottleneck in mass production. Further there are risks that during the assembly elastic limits of parts might be exceeded or parts may be deformed.