Sika presents Adekit A236 two-part structural adhesive 

Sika Marine (Madison Heights, Mich., U.S.), an industry division of Sika Corp. (Lyndhurst, N.J.,) and manufacturer supplying sealants, adhesives, tooling and composite solutions to the marine industry, recently presented Adekit A236, a high-performance, two-part adhesive. The product, Sika says, is an alternative to conventional structural bonding products in deck-to-hull, stringer/grid bonding and bulkhead-to-hull composite applications. It is a zero-odor, low-exotherm, 1:1 polyurethane structural adhesive that offers boatbuilders a 25-minute and 120-minute open time, depending on working time needed. Adekit A236 was also the 2021 IBEX Innovation Award Winner for the “Boatbuilding Methods and Materials” category.

Due to little to no exotherm, Sika says the structural adhesive eliminates gel coat rework/part damage versus traditional high-exotherm bonding materials (MMA, polyester, etc.). Further, in some applications, Adekit A236 is reported to eliminate secondary bonding.

Additional noteworthy features include no VOC, high mechanical performance, low tensile modulus — it is less brittle than traditional bonding materials — and it is said to outperform other technologies with three times the elongation at break. In additional to optimized non-sagging properties, the structural adhesive can be applied in high thickness and it has a good compromise between comfort of use (long open time) and a fast initial curing time (handling time).

Ultimately, Sika notes, Adekit A236 saves users time, cost and ensures reliability with high performance and limited surface treatment required.

Contact Brent Schubring by phone (517-819-3907) or email (schubring.brent@us.sika.com) with questions or additional information.