PORTO SALVO, Portugal - March 5, 2020 - Adhesives represent a new frontier in joining technologies, and are widely used in the most diverse industries, from building & construction to bus & truck, automotive, wind energy, marine, rail and aerospace. In Europe more than 60% of the products manufactured use adhesives at some point in its manufacturing process. Its relevance can be better grasped by the fact that its market size is projected to grow from USD 14.0 billion in 2019 to USD 19.4 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. Ensuring that the need for high quality adhesive bonded joints is met with a qualified and ready workforce is a key requirement. EWF was a pioneer organization developing the first harmonized system embracing all European countries for the qualification of personnel for a wide range of levels in manufacturing technologies. The Federation extended its international harmonised system for the field of Adhesive Bonding, with professional profiles that include European Adhesive Engineer (EAE), European Adhesive Specialist (EAS) and European Adhesive Bonder (EAB).

EWF's qualifications and its quality system of harmonized training are prepared to respond to the fast adoption of Adhesive bonding by providing a ready-to-use qualification system widely recognized, while at the same time ensuring they are able to perform within the highest quality standards put forth by standardization bodies.

Providing leading-edge adhesive bonding technology for the new manufacturing requirements

In light of its fast adoption, standardisation bureaus such as ISO, CEN, DIN and others are developing standards for adhesive bonding. The procedure for adhesive bonding covers a diversity of technical issues (material selection, cleanliness, adhesive, surface treatment, etc.) and needs to be closely monitored. However, companies often focus on the adhesive and don't address other potential pitfalls, such as skilled personnel. Studies held indicate that 90% of the failures in an adhesive bond are a result of poor qualification of the personnel involved[1].

The adhesive bonding market is broad and covers many industries. The wind energy sector is expected to lead the growth in adhesive bonding adoption during the forecasted period, due to the increasing use of renewable energy and widespread installation of windmills, driving the structural adhesives market in the coming future.

The long-term successful adoption of the international harmonised system for education, training and qualification developed by EWF lies on the usage of a single syllabus for each level of the training course and a harmonised system for examinations. Furthermore, EWF has made its quality system compliant with ISO/IEC 17024, guaranteeing that the resulting qualifications have the same uncompromised quality, regardless of the country where the course was taken. Hence, the uniqueness of EWF's system is two-fold. It is based on a unique quality assurance system, supported by a harmonised system for examinations, ensuring the same qualification can potentially be awarded in any country. The importance of this system is recognised by ISO and CEN standards, that specifically make reference to EWF qualifications.

Specifically, for adhesives, the following qualifications are available under the scope of EWF[2]:

· European Adhesive Engineer (EAE) - consists of 332 hours of theory and practice focused on all aspects involving adhesive bonding, performing an examination both written and oral in order to validate the extensive knowledge gained in the course. The European Adhesive Engineer is responsible for ensuring the whole process (design, industrialization, implementation and maintenance) of any adhesive bonding taking the necessary decisions to ensure the quality of the joint;

· European Adhesive Specialist (EAS) - consists of 120 hours where much of the subject taught within the course of European Engineer acquired, specialists have the ability to monitor and define the instructions for proper adhesive bonding, monitor the entire process and the parameters involved and to identify and correct any irregularities;

· European Adhesive Bonder (EAB) - consists of 40 hours of theory and practices focused on the proper execution of any adhesive bonding taking into account all the parameters that influence to ensure the quality of the adhesive bond;

Matching standardization and qualifications

Training in adhesive bonding allows the manufacturing of quality bonded products and fulfils the requirements of QA standards. This is supported by the "Guideline for the fabrication of adhesive bonded structures (…)" (ISO 21368:2005), which states that personnel involved in adhesive application, inspection and testing should have proper qualification and competencies to perform their respective tasks. Furthermore, the success of the standard for adhesive bonding in the rail vehicle manufacturing industry, DIN 6701, paved way to DIN 2304 which came into force at the end of 2015 for effective adhesive bonding in all other sectors.

Companies that possess certification in accordance with one of these standards for their bonding process demonstrate that they use adhesive bonding technology for their process in accordance with the binding state-of-the-art in product safety regulations and that their employees have undergone training in adhesive bonding technology as specified in the standards.

About the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting

EWF is a pioneer in implementing a harmonized qualification and certification system for joining and metal additive manufacturing professionals. Through European projects EWF has been innovating in training methodologies and involved in the development of new technologies and uses for joining. Through its member organisations, EWF has established a firm link to the local industry, providing knowledge and training as well as participating in research initiatives that address the most pressing questions and challenges in the field of joining technologies.

[1] https://www.adhesiveandglue.com/din-6701.html

[2] https://www.ewf.be/eu_qualification.aspx

Contact
Rodolfo Oliveira