White Papers: Structural Adhesives Eliminate Read-Through Problems in Trailer Design

As the trailer industry strives to save on assembly costs and provide improved sidewall aesthetics to consumers, it is switching to thinner-gauge, aluminum substrates as a replacement for thicker-gauge aluminum and heavier steel components. A typical utility or freight trailer might have a mixture of various substrates, including several metals and thermoset composites all in one unit.

However, trailers assembled made with thin-gauge materials (composite, aluminum or steel) and adhesives are subject to surface-distortion problems, known as “read-through.” When read-through occurs, you can actually “see” the adhesive used for assembling the sidewall panels/skins through the substrate.

In this interview, Bob Zweng, Regional Sales Manager for Industrial Assembly Adhesives at LORD Corporation, gives his insight as to why read-through occurs and how it can be avoided

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