Sika - Your Innovative Partner for PUR-Adhesives with Powerflex Technology for structural elastic joints to overcome all temperature challenges in a durable bond. SikaForce® PUR adhesives are high strength structural adhesives with unique elasticity even at low temperatures
Powerflex is a unique adhesive technology combining advantages of both structural- and elastic adhesives. Powerflex makes the new generation SikaForce® adhesives an effective solution for bonding and assembly of lightweight vehicles, fiberglass boats, metal fabrications, and virtually any application that requires a strong, reliable bond.
The Powerflex technology provides the highest levels of strength combined with lasting elasticity even at low temperatures. With the unique performance characteristics, SikaForce® Powerflex adhesives outperform the state-of-the-art 2C structural adhesives designed to bond lightweight materials. They are designed to create long-lasting bonds throughout the service life of bonded components no matter what climate conditions they face. The Powerflex Technology represents a new generation of SikaForce® structural adhesives making them the ideal solution for new design concepts resulting in highly structural lightweight components.
Key Benefits of SikaForce® Powerflex adhesives:
- Excellent load transfer due to high mechanical strength
- Enhanced elastic behaviour even it low temperatures to avoid cracking
- Keeps high level stiffness of bonded components at high temperatures
- Excellent capability to compensate different thermal expansion ratess of lightweight substrates
- Designed to bond coated metals (e.g. e-coat, powder coat etc.) and composites
Sika’s unique Structural Elastic Powerflex Adhesives
New design concepts require different ways of thinking when assessing adhesive performance for bonding of lightweight structures mostly involving composites and/or metal structures. While high structural strength is a key requirement needed for an optimal load transfer, most structural adhesives available in the market do not meet elastic requirements to either compensate for different thermal expansion rates of mixed-material bonding or withstand high impacts or torsion even at very low temperatures.
SikaForce® Powerflex adhesives provide very stable mechanical performance throughout the service termperature range making them safe for use in any climate condition. They provide higher rate stiffness at elevated temperatures (up to 100°C) whilst keeping significant rate of elasticity down to -40°C. This combination is truly unique and represents a paradigm shift.
Key Features of SikaForce® Powerflex adhesives
- Combines the high strength of structural- with the flexibility of elastic adhesives
- Keeps flexibility even at low temperatures
- Provides stable mechanical strength over service temperature
- High energy absorption capacity
- No smell compared to other technologies
"Sika - your innovative partner for structural elastic Powerflex technology for optimal load transfer of structural components. "
While 1-component polyurethane adhesives provide excellent cold temperature performance regarding elongation, their potential in strength (E-Modulus) is insufficient for high strength bonds.In contrary to this, 2-component structural adhesives offer enormous potential for mechanical strength but are lacking the necessary flexibility at low temperatures needed for bonding mixed materials.
Standard 2-component adhesives also show a significant loss of mechanical strength at elevated temperatures (e.g., 80°C). The new generation of SikaForce® 2C polyurethane adhesives with Powerflex inside shows a substantially higher strength retention rate in the heat while keeping its elasticity over the entire service temperature.
The new SikaForce® structural adhesives feature a unique combination of structural strength and permanent elasticity. This key performance feature is a potential game changer in the composite industry as it allows to formulate SikaForce® structural adhesives with exceptional mechanical strength without compromising the elongation. Powerflex breaks the boundary of strength- and elongation ratio and is therefore becoming the preferred solution when bonding materials with different thermal expansion coefficients (e.g. CFRP and aluminum). The Powerflex technology therefore provides the end user with unimagined design possibilities involving composite materials.