Bonding systems
decades now. Nonetheless it is still surprising to see how many people in the construction
industry still question whether these adhesives can really hold those panels. Many stick to
the old-fashioned mechanical connection solutions just because of the doubts they have
about bonding. We could list well over a thousand projects that have successfully applied our
bonding technology. Out of the rare incidents we have ever had, all were caused by an
incorrect application. As long as that is done right, reliability is actually even better than
mechanical connections.
systems have over mechanical connections. We love to share the most important ones with
you and hope that after reading this, no doubts remain about the reliability and the many
other advantages of bonded cladding technologies.
Aesthetics
by any construction limitations. This is probably the most important reason why bonding
systems have entered this market many years ago. You won’t see any screws or other fixing
materials sticking out. No matter what different types of materials you want to use, just put
them next to each other using the same substructure and adhesive. It also doesn’t matter
what form the panel has, bonding can stick anything to any background. In other words when
you are looking for the greatest flexibility in design, bonded cladding is by far the best
technology to use.
Greater choice of materials and lighter constructions
adhesive is applied over a larger area, enabling the use of thinner façade panels. Panel
materials that due to their bending strength required a certain material thickness in case of a
mechanical connection (point load) and therefore could not be used, can now be thinner and
used without any problems The use of thinner façade panels (less dead weight) also has the
advantage that a lighter substructure can be used. Due to the lighter material, the application
is significantly simplified.
Flexibility = durability
Thanks to the movement capacity of the TWEHA bonding products, durability is guaranteed.
Rainscreen or ventilated facades are subject to many different forces, be it wind, rain, extreme temperatures and even earthquakes. The adhesive has the possibility to deform along with the façade panel. By using screws for example you weaken the connected material with one or more holes and the shrinkage and expansion of the panels cannot be absorbed.
The façade panel will buckle and in the worst case the panel will break off of the façade. That will never happen with bonding systems. Due to the permanent flexibility, it can absorb and endure severe impact, without tearing or rupturing, giving it the capacity to withstand hurricane-force winds. TWEHA’s bonding products provide a cushioned foundation to reduce the potential of damages making it an exceptional choice for many structures within ‘earthquake zones’.
TWEHA’s Bonding Systems remain permanently flexible, without hardening, at extremely low temperatures; an important consideration when bonding two materials together with different coefficients of thermal expansion. While they provide a flexible foundation for movement,
even in freezing conditions, other bonding products can become brittle and crack, reducing the safety factor of the structure. At the other end the TWEHA Bonding Systems are also resistant to extremely high temperatures and do not break down with exposure to ultra-violet rays.
At elevated temperatures, the tensile strength, elongation and abrasion resistance of these products is far superior to that of most organic rubbers. In fact after heat aging, conventional rubber can harden, crack and decompose while TWEHA’s products remain unaffected.
In other words the outstanding durability, flexibility and movement capacity are fundamental to the high performance of TWEHA’s Products, making it an exceptional choice for architects, builders and restoration firms.
Primers not needed!
are different products, though the impression they serve the same purpose. On the contrary,
they have a different purpose, function and diverse constituents.
First of all: with TWEHA’s Bonding Systems primers are no necessity!
a. which greatly simplifies the application of our systems, one application-run less, thus
reducing the risk for errors;
b. you are not bound by a time limit in application as you are when using a primer;
c. the lack of these dangerous primers reduces environmental and health risks, and
d. the absence of a primer makes it possible to process the bonding system at low
temperatures (< 5 °C).
Actually, primers are aggressive problem solvers. Designed to penetrate to the substrate to
ensure better adhesion. It increases covering capacity of the adhesive and thereby reduces
the risk of failure and hides the shortcomings of the competitors adhesives in comparison
with TWEHA’s Bonding Products.
Primers generally consist of a reactive chemical agent which is dosed in a solvent. This
solvent evaporates after application, leaving behind the active agent. This often aggressive
agent ‘etches’ the surface to be bonded, so that the adhesive is able to penetrate. This leads
to a change of the surface of the substrate. A crater-like structure is formed to accommodate
the mechanical “cross-linking” of the adhesive.
Different types of primers are required for different surfaces, depending upon their
characteristics and acts as a “chemical bridge” between the substrate and the adhesive.
Please note substrates and types of primer are not interchangeably!
A most important disadvantage of using a primer is that the adhesive bead must be applied
within a specified time after the application of the primer! So processing for both primer and
bonding on the scaffold is an awkward and obstructive necessity.
Finally aggressive primers are harmful to humans and environment.