The Thermally Expanded Microspheres Debonding Technology and ELV Recycling Glazing

Giovanni Manfrè

The glazing direct bonding by adhesives on the frame of vehicles needs to be easily released for replacement and now for ELV dismountling. Among the present cutting, heating, wiring knives, laser, ultrasonic technologies, no one seems really able to dismount in a short time (some minutes) at nearly zero lifting off load and leaving clean interfaces. After 5 years of R&D, patent and know development, the so called "debonding technology" seems to solve the problems by suitable thermally expanded microspheres: TEM, mainly embedding in a primer matrix interface between the ceramic screen printing and the adhesive bead. At present the experimental results achieved the release of the glazing,
included the windscreen, by IR suitable heating lamp in about 3 minutes with only about 1g of special TEM per glazing. Fast time, no lifting load, clean surface is now conceived a technology for massive applications. Now the last development of debonding technology is facing also the release of any kind of bonded vehicles panels to approach even plastic-metal, metal-metal sandwich to be increasingly
applied, instead of spot or other kind of welding. The displacement and ELV panels adhesive debonding will improve also the car makers assembly process.

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