Non-Structural Adhesives Used In Garage Door Assembly

In recent blogs, we looked at structural adhesives used in garage door assemblies (part one and part two). However, non-structural adhesives also can be used in the manufacturing process. Let’s take a closer look at numerous types of these adhesives as well.

Type 1: Hot Melt Polyolefins (HMPO)

HMPOs are mainly comprised of polyethylene or polypropylene polymers. These adhesives are can be either standard or blended and high temperature polyolefins.

• Standard hot melt polyolefins are flexible with increased high temperature performance.
• Blended and high temperature polyolefins have excellent adhesion to difficult stock and can contain rubber or maleated materials.

HMPOs offer the following benefits for garage door assembly:

• Bond well to difficult to stick to substrates.
• Can be sprayable
• Relatively good heat resistance

Typical uses for HMPOs in garage door assembly include:

• Flat panel lamination
• Corner/edge banding
• Bonding difficult olefin substrates

Common ways to apply HMPOs include roll coating, extrusion, swirl spray, bead and foam-in-place. Bostik’s HMPO products in particular include:

• H9446: This adhesive has excellent heat resistance and high shear. It also offers a short open time.
• H9389: This product has a long open time, very good hot tack and a high melting point. It has excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates including many plastics, metal and paper.

Type 2: Foam-in-Place Adhesives (FIP)

FIP adhesives offer a unique option to reduce weight and lower cost in garage door assembly. FIP adhesives can be polyolefin, styrenic block copolymer or hot melt polyurethane-based.

Additionally, nitrogen is injected to “foam” the adhesive. This creates a non-serviceable (or serviceable if polyurethane technology) gasket that adheres to the substrate and can be either tacky or non-tacky.

FIP adhesives offer the following benefits for garage door assembly:

• Replace foam tapes
• Are typically used for thermal break applications between garage door panels
• If urethane technology, the FIP gaskets handle temperature changes very well.

Typical uses for FIP adhesives in garage door assembly include:

• Non-serviceable gasketing
• Watershielding
• Expansion joints fillers
• Sound dampening

These adhesives are typically applied using commercial foaming systems. Nitrogen is injected into the adhesive during the bead application.

An FIP adhesive for garage door assembly in particular includes:

• SG9251K: This adhesive is a one-component polyurethane that reacts with moisture to cure.

Type 3: Water-Based Adhesives

Water-based adhesives are also used in garage door assembly. These adhesives are solutions or emulsions of polymers that are carried in a water medium.

• Solutions are dissolved polymers, either natural (dextrin or starch) or synthetic polyvinyl alcohol.
• Emulsions are natural (rubber) or synthetic (polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-ethylene acrylics) polymers that are either carried in the water or by a protective bubble of other chemicals.

Water-based adhesives offer the following benefits for garage door assembly:

Synthetic copolymers:

• Better adhesion to difficult substrates
• Better performance in freezing applications

Synthetic homopolymers:

• Good heat resistance
• Inexpensive

Typical uses for water-based adhesives in garage door assembly include:

• Non-structural panel bonding
  • Skin-to-core bonding
  • Foam-to-foam bonding
  • Label and laminate bonding

Common application methods for water-based adhesives include gravure coated, sprayed or slot coated. A specific water-based adhesive for garage door assembly includes:

• L8115: This product has excellent wet out and a moderate open time. It offers high adhesion to difficult stocks and has superior freezer resistance in final bonds.

Stay tuned for part two of this two-part blog post! For more information on these non-structural adhesives, call 800-7-BOSTIK.

Type 4: Hot Melt Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (HMPSAs)

HMPSAs are formulated using a styrenic block copolymer chemistry that can be modified for general assembly needs. For garage door assembly in particular, these benefits :

• Hot/cold temperature resistance
• High shear resistance
• Water white color
• Removable

HMPSAs can also bond to a variety of substrates and can be sprayed due to their lower viscosities. Typical uses for HMPSAs in garage door assembly include:

• Non-structural panel bonding
• Foam-to-foam bonding
• Temporary bonding/component stabilization
• Label and laminate bonding

Common ways to apply HMPSAs for garage door assembly include by extruding, roll coating and spray/melt blowing.

Bostik manufactures quality HMPSA product for garage door assembly. One in particular includes:

• H2315-02: This versatile product offers a high heat resistance as well as balanced tack and peel. It bonds well to a variety of substrates and can be foamed, which lends itself to a variety of assembly applications, including garage doors.

Type 5: HM Polyamide Application Methods 

HM polyamide adhesives are also used in garage door assembly. These adhesives are largely composed of pure polymers applied around 400F.

HM polyamide adhesives offer the following benefits for garage door assembly:

• Excellent heat resistance
• Adhesion to a variety of substrates, including wood, PVC, fabric and some metals
• SAFT up to 340F
• Good chemical and plasticizer resistance
• Ability to bond to a range of substrates

HM polyamides in particular also provide cold flexibility down to -40F.

Typical uses for HM polyamide adhesives include:

• Semi-structural panel bonding
• Corner and edge banding
• Metal-to-foam
• Wood bonding

Common application methods for HM polyamide adhesives are typical bead extrusion and melt blowing.

Bostik manufactures HM polyamide adhesives for garage door assembly. Specific products include:

• HM4229: This HM polyamide adhesive offers excellent plasticizer resistance, low application viscosity and good temperature resistance. It has a long open time and can bond to a range of substrates including wood, metal and many plastics, such as plasticized PVC.
• HM4278: This specialty adhesive is fast set with heat, chemical and grease resistance. HM4278 also has quick processing times, easy substrate application and is suitable in harsh environmental conditions.

Contact a Bostik representative today to learn how our non-structural adhesives can help with your next project.

Other content relevant to this topic:

Structural Adhesives in Garage Door Assembly

The Growing Popularity of Fiberglass Garage Doors, Adhesives for Them

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) in Construction