The nuts and bolts of confident bonding

Bondloc is an ISO 9001:2015 certified UK manufacturer of industrial adhesives and sealants with over 2,000 adhesive formulations in their portfolio. The business was built on anaerobic adhesives over 25 years ago and this core range still accounts for over 40% of its UK sales.

But what’s the secret of this little genie in a bottle and why is anaerobic chemistry still such an integral part of engineering and maintenance today?

A long history

Threaded fasteners were invented more than 2,000 years ago and are still widely used in machinery design and assembly, although usage is declining," states Bondloc. "These traditional fastening methods have many flaws; they can self-loosen, particularly under the stress of heat or vibration, resulting in downtime, quality issues, recalls, corrosion and increased maintenance. Regardless of how small the gap, side to side movement of the bolt within the nut caused by operational vibrations will eventually cause the bolt to loosen, with sometimes catastrophic results."

Anaerobic threadlockers replace mechanical threadlocking devices and offer tangible benefits in terms of productivity, efficiency and safety, the company adds. "These single component acrylic polymers have an anaerobic cure system that remains in a liquid form until air is absent and contact is made with metal ions. A liquid threadlocker will fill all voids between mating threads and solidifies to form a thermoset plastic that unitises the assembly."

Dual purpose

Threadlockers also coat the entire thread and are resistant to water, solvents and oils. They serve the dual purpose as sealants and prevent corrosion from liquids, gases and air-born contaminants such as dust which would otherwise compromise bolted assemblies. Clean-up is easy, since any excess adhesive remains as an easily wiped-away liquid.

“Bondloc has an extensive portfolio of threadlocking adhesives, including COSHH-free safer products,” says the company. “They have varying differentials in viscosity, strength, temperature resistance, cure speed and flexibility. For more specific or unique applications, formulations can be modified and then manufactured in-house. Either way, to determine the best product to use for the job, three main questions must be asked. What’s the fastener size? Which strength is needed? How frequently will the assembly need to be serviced?

Laying down a challenge

“But should we also challenge the efficacy of the products we purchase by asking our suppliers if their published data stacks up? The answer is most definitely, yes.”

Every adhesive product purchased is underpinned with a technical data sheet and a material safety data sheet. “Continual quality testing and benchmarking of products versus competitors is common practice at the Bondloc laboratory by independent technicians,” it concludes. “The most recent tests have shown yet again that product performance not only consistently meets the published data, but also exceeds its peers’ performance.”