A vehicle’s interior and exterior determine passenger in-car experiences, providing comfort, durability, premium features, and a standout appearance. Advanced materials bring both form and function to vehicle operation while meeting safety requirements via a range of innovative and sustainable solutions. New interior designs use low-emission and non-yellowing adhesives while E-mobility is driving exterior designs with lightweight wheels, smart faces, and efficient heating.
of automotive execs
Expect car interiors to become more important to the in-car experience.
*Source: McKinsey & Company "The future of interior in automotive"
key factors
Consumers want convenience, premium features, and advanced Safety.
*Source: Yahoo! Finance Automotive Interior Market Report 2022
of consumers
Rank exteriors as important to car choice.
*Source: Design News "Auto Interior Is the New Exterior"
The automotive industry seeks innovative lightweight technologies and sustainable products that improve vehicle design and performance. High-performance interior adhesives are used for the assembly, installation, and lamination of high-quality automotive components.
Our adhesives for smart front panels and tailgates enhance design freedom and circularity. These innovative adhesives ensure reliable bonding of recycled plastics and facilitate debonding at end-of-life, paving the way for a more sustainable automotive industry.
- Door system
- Seating system
- Dashboards (instrument panel)
- Steering wheel
- Overhead and headliner
- Carpet and textiles
Henkel offers solutions for all three types of lamination processes (Vacuum-, Press- and IMG Lamination). The shape and complexity of the substrates have a big influence on the selection of the adhesive.
Medium- to high-viscosity polyurethane sealing foams are used to seal the door module contours on a flat application surface or in a shallow groove. The dosing application is carried out fully automatically and very accurately with respect to the contours by means of the FIPFG technology of our mixing and dosing system. The foam gasket on the entire module contour forms a seamless seal with a barely visible coupling point.
Henkel’s portfolio of automotive door panel adhesives provides high heat resistance and fast setting bonding and sealing for lamination and decorative trim applications. Non-yellowing formulations are especially useful for edge-wrapping light-colored fabrics, as well as ideal for laminating semi-transparent substrates. Areas include armrest, door bolsters, and door beltline areas.
A seat requires a wide range of solutions that Henkel can offer. It begins with the pre-treatment of the metal frame, bonding of additional parts to the frame, bonding of sensors in place and potting them, and it ends with the lamination of the seat cover.
Comfort and durability are key when it comes to seating systems. Car interior fabric adhesives are used to bond cushions and upholstery to various composite substrates. Henkel’s expansive range of automotive vinyl adhesives remain flexible while providing a strong bond between different substrates, and do not become brittle over time.
Because of the complex 3d shape of an instrument panel, vacuum lamination is often not possible, as the coverstock would be overstretched and destroyed. Hence, the coverstock is composed of single parts to fit the complex shape. The adhesive is sprayed on the plastic carrier and the woven or foam-backed cover is manually stretched onto the carrier and prefixed with a hot air gun. Therefore, sprayable adhesives are needed.
Printed electronics technology allows the creation of thin, lightweight, and flexible circuitry that can be produced at high speeds.
Henkel offers high heat resistant automotive panel adhesives for lamination and decorative bonding that offers high elasticity characteristics to allow temperature induced substrate movement without compromising bond integrity. Typical applications for Henkel’s automotive panel bonding adhesives include center consoles, instrument clusters, and glove compartments.
High-elasticity adhesives offer superb performance for a variety of steering wheel applications. Flocking kits are used to increase grip and friction on the steering wheel.
The headliner requires a broad range of bonding solutions. From easy ones like cable management and bonding of sound insulation to more complex applications like plastic attachments where a longer open time is required due to the handling time these parts require.
Both the overhead and headliner areas require high heat-resistant materials to withstand prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Henkel’s spray adhesive solutions are fast-setting and provide high heat resistance. These products are suitable for bonding felt and insulation mats for sound insulation and attaching plastic and metal parts.
Carpet applications usually don’t require high bonding strength, and very often maximum service temperature does not exceed 80°C. Henkel offers both reactive and non-reactive adhesives that can help to accelerate and optimize the assembly processes and reduce total manufacturing cost.
Adhesive solutions for carpet and textiles require low VOC, low fogging, and long open times. Henkel’s interior trim materials and vinyl adhesives are typically used for bonding carpets or textile to metal or composite materials on load floors and seat backs and other car interiors, as well as using carpet adhesives on felt and insulation mats for sound insulation.
- Exterior modules
- Roof systems
- Glass
- Lighting
Henkel provides 2K polyurethane adhesives for elastic bonding of plastics. Primerless bonding of polypropylene and polycarbonate. Long open time and fast cure.
Printed electronics technology allows the creation of thin, lightweight, and flexible circuitry that can be produced at high speeds.
Henkel provides an extensive range of high-quality exterior automotive adhesives, sealants, and automotive weatherstrip-coatings for exterior applications that are specially designed for a variety of substrates. Our automotive exterior trim adhesive materials offer strong and quick adhesion and cold temperature flexibility for long lasting and reliable bonding.
Henkel offers automotive roof sealant and adhesive solutions that meet all safety and lightweighting design requirements for sunroofs, moon roofs, roof panels, and roof rack applications. Our wide range of adhesives for car exteriors offer excellent durability and reliable solutions for increased efficiency and high-quality results.
Excellent adhesion even right after molding. One component , no mixing needed and no pot life issue. No activator/primer needed. Easy detection (UV-traceable).
Henkel offers environmentally friendly, water-based glass encapsulation priming systems that are used for encapsulation of automotive glasses. Henkel’s direct glazing adhesives are used by automotive OEMs and are OEM-approved for the automotive aftermarket.
Henkel’s automotive headlight (headlamp) adhesives are used to produce more than 150,000 headlamps per day. From headlight housing sealants that offer improved adhesion and weather protection, to tail lamps and headlight bonding products used in various light source assemblies, including light bulbs, halogen, Xenon, LED, and laser.
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