INSTANT ADHESIVES MARKET ANALYSIS

Cyanoacrylate adhesives, commonly known as instant adhesives are one-part, room-temperature curing adhesives available in a wide range of viscosities, which are  known for fast and reliable bonds with instant high performance bonding of numerous materials, such as rubber, metals, wood, plastic and polystyrene. 90% of Instant Adhesives currently used for general purposes is ethyl cyanoacrylate and the rest is methyl cyanoacrylate. They are used due to instant bonding effect, even when used in low volumes. Instant adhesives would penetrate new markets if qualities, such as low bleaching and low odor are modified.

Inferior heat and impact resistance, inferior pliability, inability to adhere a large area in one stroke, odor and whitening, toxicity that may lead to skin disease are some of the major disadvantages of instant adhesives. Instant adhesives are extensively used in chemical machinery and equipment, automotive industry, musical instruments, precision equipment and domestic operations.

Instant Adhesives Market Taxonomy­­

On the basis of chemistry,

• Cyanoacrylate
• Methyl Cyanoacrylate
• Ethyl Cyanoacrylate
• 2-octyl Cyanoacrylate
• Others Epoxy-based
• Cold cure adhesives or two-part
• Heat cure adhesives or one-part

On the basis of substrate,

• Metal
• Steel
• Aluminum
• Others
• Wood
• Plastic
• Glass
• Composites

On the basis of curing process,

• Conventional Instant Adhesives
• Light-Cured Instant Adhesives

On the basis of application,

• Industrial
• Woodworking
• Transportation & Automotive
• Consumer
• Medical
• Electronics
• Sporting Goods
• Aerospace
• Oil & Gas
• Others

Cyanoacrylate is mainly used as it has one-solution, one-catalyst property along with excellent electric insulation and chemical resistance. Weak resistance to moisture and heat along with low shearing strength are weakness of instant adhesives. They are used as temporary adhesive in electronics, woodworking, medical, cosmetics, and forensics applications. Epoxy-based instant adhesives are mainly of two types, namely cold cure adhesive and heat cure adhesive. Cold cure adhesives provides high strength bonding with fast curing at room temperature, wide range of viscosities with gap-fill versions, long term durability and uniform stress distribution, low odor and VOC content, resistance to cracking and abrasion with excellent adhesion to similar or dissimilar substrates. Hot cure adhesives are used above 100°C. They provide several advantages over solvent-based adhesives, which includes high shelf life with easy disposal without any special precautions. Drying and curing step can be eliminated in hot cure adhesives. These adhesives provide greater and harder bond strength along with toughness, rigidity and high impact resistance. They have applications in automotive, aerospace, electronics, bookbinding, packaging, medical, and oil and gas industry.

Instant Adhesives Market Outlook

Utilization of instant adhesives in several end use applications, combined with increasing demand for instant adhesive, is expected to raise the demand of instant adhesives in global market. Improvement in adhesive technology for improved bond strength with variety of substrate types as well as the need to meet the strict environmental regulations are the key drivers for instant adhesive market. Evolution of automation in electronics and miniaturization industry, and medical and transportation will enhance the demand of instant adhesives in near future.  Product quality, fast curing speed, ease of use, excellent bonding strength, and safety standards make instant adhesive preferred choice for costumers where convenience and high performance is expected to be key driver. 

Asia Pacific global adhesive market is expected to grow at highest rate due to increasing demands of developing economies in end user industry. Abundant raw material, low labor cost, and low tax rate makes China most dominant country in instant adhesive market. Countries such as India, South Korea, and Singapore are emerging players in this market. High standard of living, raising per capita income, and environmental friendly adhesives are fueling demand for instant adhesive market over the forecast period.  Growing automotive industry in North America has driven the instant adhesive market with second largest growing region in the market globally. Latin America, and Middle East markets are also growing at a significant rate, due to developing economic growth and demand in medical, electronics and transportation sector.

Instant adhesives Market Challenges –

Toxicity, flammability, acceptable drying time, complying with environmental regulations are major challenges for instant adhesive market. Rapid conversion of instant adhesive into thermoplastic resin after coming in contact with moisture is another challenge to be tackled by the instant adhesive market.  Relatively high costs and low toughness of instant adhesives inhibits growth of the global instant adhesive market.

Companies are adopting various organic and inorganic growth strategies in order to sustain their market position. Some of the key companies dominating the market are Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, H.B. Fuller, Huntsman Corporation, 3M Company, Bostik SA, Toagosei Co. Ltd., and Pidilite Industries.

 Instant adhesives Market Key Takeaways –

• In July 2019, Henkel announced an investment of USD 45 Mn to upgrade its Salisbury NC adhesive plant in North America. The upgraded facility will include a new space for UV acrylic adhesives used for packaging tape & labels. The investment has been done to strengthen the position of Henkel in North America region which accounts for 25% of the company’s sale.
• In November 2018, Henkel launched bonding kit for 3D applications including instant bonder, activator, primer, and cleaning products. The kit has been launched with the aim of providing easy bonding of prototyping parts used in 3D printing technologies.

In October 2018, Bostik, an Arkema company acquired Afinitica, a specialized in instant adhesive (Cynoacrylates). Afinitica patented an innovative process for the manufacturing of cyanoacrylate monomers used for instant adhesives. Therefore, this acquisition enabled Arkema to develop a solid position in instant adhesives used for electronics, medical and other durable goods applications.