1. Adhesive families

An adhesive is defined as a product capable of holding materials together, notably by adhesion. Adhesion is the state in which two surfaces are held together by interfacial forces. Adhesives are obtained by formulating several components, each providing one or more technological functions, the base resin leading to the name of the adhesive.

Adhesive processing conditions (rheology, surface wettability, etc.) and final assembly performance are linked not only to the intrinsic characteristics of the adhesive, but also to formulation aids (plasticizers, surfactants, fillers, etc.), assembly design (joint geometry, etc.), surface preparation and processing parameters.