Its first use was in the manufacture of billiard balls, which had been made of ivory. The era of plastics began with the introduction of Bakelite phenolic, a thermoset plastic, in 1910. Within a year, adhesives using phenolic resin were put on the market. Although adhesives have been known for about 6000 years, most of the technology of adhesives has been developed during the last 100 years. The development of plastics and elastomers has rapidly advanced the development of adhesives and has given formulators a wide variety of products that can change and improve various properties of adhesives such as flexibility, toughness, curing or setting time, temperature and chemical resistance.
Adhesives touch our lives every day.
They are never more than an arm s length away, even though we may not be aware of their presence. A description of some of the more common types of adhesives and their uses should make you more aware of how adhesives touch your life. Animal Glues - made from the protein extracted from the bones, hide, hoofs and horns of animals by boiling. The extract is cooked to form a gelatin material. The gelatin can then be reliquified with heat, which gives it quick setting properties.