French chemical firm Arkema recently announced that it has acquired a majority stake in AEC Polymers, a manufacturer of structural adhesives, also based in France.

The move, Arkema said, is aligned with its expanding into high added value specialty chemicals, in particular composite materials and advanced materials.

AEC Polymers, which has recently developed a range of methacrylate glues, SAF range, based on an Arkoma technology, will join the chemical group’s new products and new technologies incubator.

There is increased industrial use for structural adhesives in assembling composite materials, plastics, glass and metals. With metals, the properties obtained are equivalent or superior to welding.

The demand for structural adhesives is driven by trend in using lighter materials for applications in automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, etc.