 As summer beckons a new season of fishermen and recreational boaters, many marine enthusiasts may not realize that their watercraft may be constructed not with bolts or rivets, but with a revolutionary new silicone-based sealant technology (PDF = 324 KB) from Dow Corning Corporation.
“Until recently, manufacturers of marine products had limited choices when it came to joining parts together without trading off productivity, performance, quality and cost,” said Ross Noel, senior application engineer, Dow Corning. “Silicone sealants offer a better choice (PDF =186 KB) for both manufacturers and customers.”
Traditional boat assembly with screws and bolts requires holes to be drilled. This can provide an avenue for water to leak into the instrument panels, cockpit cabinets, cabin and hull. These holes create pockets for moisture and debris to accumulate, which can lead to leaks, corrosion, contamination, and even loosening of the screws and bolts. Bolts and screws also concentrate tension into stress points that can result in fatigue, crazing and cracking.
To solve these problems, marine manufacturers are turning to new Dow Corning hot melt silicone adhesive sealants. They do not require drilling so holes and their consequences are not an issue, and because they are more flexible than mechanical fasteners they absorb much of the stress caused by thermal expansion and mechanical stress.
Manufacturers are also realizing productivity and environmental advantages. The new hot melt sealant forms a strong bond almost immediately, which eliminates bottlenecks in manufacturing caused by waiting for sealants to cure. In addition, silicone sealant adheres well to materials commonly used in boat assembly such as metal, wood, painted surfaces, glass and plastics.
To view a video on Dow Corning’s Hot Melt Silicone Sealant technology, please go to http://dowcorningvideos.com/video4.html.
About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicon-based technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and services. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States.
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