Future Vehicles will Choose Glue Instead of Welding

In the immortal assignment to make vehicles lighter and tougher, auto-brands are choosing advanced structural adhesives in order to utilize more aluminum and exotic materials.

Since aluminum and some of those unusual materials cannot be united, industrial adhesives are being used to hold together and stiffen load-bearing sections and components such as doors, bumpers and struts. Frankly speaking, several brands use these high-tech adhesives. The technology is found on models such as the Audi R8 and has been tested on the track to stand vibrations and high heat.

Nowadays, automotive adhesives account for less than 10 % of the worldwide adhesives market, but experts forecast that number will increase at least a third over the coming 5-10 years.

The standard Audi uses around 325 feet of glue, but the German brand is going to increase to about 490 feet in the next years. The fresh Cadillac CTS uses about 387 feet of structural adhesives and helps make the car 40 % stiffer than its predecessor.