Modularity means flexibility. Simply combining a small number of different elements in different ways can result in a huge variety of finished components. With its Flextec® prepolymers, Henkel has created a modular system that can be used to make many different kinds of products.

No more power drills, plugs or screws – extra-strong assembly adhesives with a very high initial tack are increasingly replacing traditional fastening methods.

As the name suggests, instant adhesives stick instantly, and to almost anything. Chemically, they are based on cyanoacrylate building blocks. The building blocks are in fact monomers – highly reactive single molecules.

Instant adhesives can do more than stick plastic parts back together and repair broken china. Thanks to their exceptional compatibility with the human skin, certain formulations are even suitable for closing wounds.

For 20 years now, car makers have been reinforcing the welds in car bodies with high-performance adhesives. By making the car body considerably stiffer, these reinforcing adhesives have made it possible to use thinner metal panels.

In aircraft engineering, there is a growing trend toward lightweight construction. Novel materials are playing a key role here. Henkel's innovative Epsilon technology represents a milestone in the production of fiber composites.

Weight-saving designs are essential in vehicle manufacturing in order to reduce resource consumption and, ultimately, costs. But the new lightness of automotive life does have its price: noise.