Structural Adhesives Comes in Handy for Product Manufacturers

structural adhesives market

The structural adhesives market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.47% during the forecast period to reach US$11.798 billion by 2027, from US$8.689 billion in 2020.

The structural adhesive is used to bond a joint and has the capability of holding two or more substrates together under stress. The failure of these joints could have disastrous effects on the product’s structure and functionality, making them the most crucial bonds in a product. A correctly applied structural adhesive should keep a product securely attached when it is subjected to vibration, shock, chemicals, temperature changes, or other forms of weakening or destructive agents within predetermined tolerance levels. These substances are capable of binding two or more surfaces together over the product’s lifespan. The structural adhesives can be subjected to stress, chemical exposure, heavy vibrations, temperature changes, and several other destructive forces. Furthermore, structural adhesives have several benefits over conventional fastening techniques, which include better stress distribution as the structural adhesives help in force disbursement over the bond line which creates a stronger assembly.

The growth of the structural adhesive market can be mainly attributed to the increasing adaptation in Automotive industry coupled with the benefits offered by structural adhesives.  

The market is expanding due to the development of light commercial vehicles, cutting-edge passenger automobiles, and new aircraft with high consumption of composite materials. Furthermore, more uses of lightweight materials with high-performance benefits in automobiles are projected to drive the market. The market for adhesives and composites is rising despite severe competition from substitute materials, especially in applications that require high performance, weight savings, and other benefits including fuel efficiency. Moreover, the advantages of structural adhesives include easy joining of complicated shapes and cost-effectiveness due to reduced material costs, and process time. As a result, it is expected that the market for structural adhesives will experience significant growth during the forecast period.

Furthermore, the growing automotive industry is expected to propel the market for structural adhesives in the forthcoming years. Owing to the growing dependency on high and ultrahigh-strength steels and aluminum for body structures, notably used in bodies-in-white (BIW), to reduce weight without losing crash-mitigation strength. Moreover, these structural adhesives are available in varying chemistries and formats which can be used in multiple areas of vehicles. For instance, an American multinational conglomerate operating in the fields of industry, worker safety, healthcare, and consumer goods, the 3M offers liquid structural adhesives as well as Structural adhesive tapes for clean, simple, and quick structural joining of BIW. The company claims that their 3M Structural Adhesive Tapes cure in standard e-coat ovens and expand to fill gaps, which allows the prevention of corrosion of all types.

The Epoxy structural adhesive will have a significant share during the study period

By Type, the structural adhesive market is divided into Epoxy, urethanes, acrylics, methyl methacrylate, and others. The segment’s growth is expected to be aided by the lucrative growth of epoxy during the forecast period. The growth of epoxy structural adhesives can be traced back to its high bonding strength in several end-use applications like aerospace, industrial, and automotive among others. Furthermore, epoxy-based structural adhesives are largely utilized in aluminum structures because they can withstand vibration. Moreover, the benefits of structural epoxy adhesives for automation applications are bolstering the growth of this market segment. The benefits include uniform stress distribution, larger stress-bearing, gap-filling, improved energy efficiency, and easy automatable applications among others. Furthermore, the end-user can also benefit from the low cost and increased productivity of epoxy adhesives for automotive applications. These numerous benefits of using epoxy structural adhesives are expected to propel the market for structural adhesives during the forecast period. 

The structural adhesive market for the automotive segment is expected to grow at a significant rate during the anticipated period.

Based on industry verticals the market of structural adhesives is segmented into automotive, construction, energy and power, aerospace and defense, consumer electronics, and others. In order to make cars lighter, structural adhesives were launched as a low-volume substitute in the automotive sector. However, after realizing its potential, the auto industry began utilizing it for mass production. Moreover, it is anticipated that in the upcoming years, the use of composite materials will increase, there will be a need for environmentally safe, long-lasting, and non-hazardous structural adhesives, and there will be a demand for lightweight, low-emission vehicles and aircraft, all of which are anticipated to drive the demand for structural adhesives.

According to analysts, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to occupy the dominant share of the structural adhesive market in the upcoming years.

Based on Geography, the structural adhesive market is divided into North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. According to analysts, the Asia-Pacific region holds the biggest market share. The market growth can be largely attributed to the increasing adaptation of adhesives in automotive technology and industrial manufacturing in this region. The global structural adhesive market share was dominated by the Asia-Pacific region. One of the biggest markets for structural adhesives worldwide is China. China’s Five-Year Plan, which was released in January 2022, projects that the country’s construction industry will rise by about 6% in 2022. To reduce waste and pollution from construction sites, China intends to promote the production of prefabricated structures. Moreover, the rapid industrial development and the growing manufacturing sectors, and an increase in the number of applications for structural adhesives are some major drivers of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. Other prominent sectors that use structural adhesives include the automotive and aerospace industries. OICA estimates that 4,399,112 automobiles were produced in 2021, a 30% increase over the 3,381,819 automobiles produced in 2020. Overall, over the course of the forecast period, all of these factors are anticipated to have an impact on the demand for structural adhesives in the Asia-Pacific region.

The North American region is expected to register the second higher growth in the structural adhesive market during the forecast period. Even though the markets in North America and Europe are mature, technical advancements in high-growth industries, such as sporting goods and medical applications, are anticipated to propel the market at a very high rate throughout the projected period.