Rubber Adhesion and Adhesives

Course description
Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: 240 South Forge Street, Akron, Ohio 44325
Classroom 217 (Located inside the National Polymer Innovation Center)
Cost: $900 USD
CEU's: 0.8
Instructor: Adrian P. Defante, Ph.D.

Course Overview

This course focuses on the use of adhesives for bonding rubber to metal substrates.  Here the content is focused on fundamental concepts of surfaces and interfaces, metal substrate preparation, rubber chemistry, bonding processes, and understanding/assessing bonding strength through test methods.  Course content will be guided by Handbook of Rubber Bonding, book not necessary.

Course Topics

• Surfaces and Interfaces
• Adhesion Mechanisms in Rubber-Metal Interfaces
• History of Rubber Metal Bonding
• Metal Characterization and Surface Preparation 
• Rubber Chemistry
• Evaluation of Bonding and Test Methods
• Bonding Process
• Bonding Studies

Online Course Requirements

We want you to have a great experience participating in our remote (online) courses, and for that, you’ll need the right equipment and internet connection.

Minimum needs are:

• A broadband internet connection that has at least a 2 Mbps upload and download speed.
• A computer (PC or Mac) that can support the latest web browser versions.
• At least 4 GB of RAM and adequate hard drive space.
• A microphone and a speaker.
• International Students: For virtual (online) courses, an additional fee will be assessed to cover the cost of shipping the professional binder (presentation slides), to your address. The cost of international shipping can be significant.

For more information, visit our Online Course Requirements webpage.

Instructor Biography:

Adrian is originally from Cleveland, Ohio where he finished his PhD in Polymer Science.  He has a Masters and Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Florida and the University of Cincinnati respectively.  At the University of Akron, he focused his studies on adhesion and friction phenomena in underwater environments.  At the National Institute of Standards and Technology, he worked as an NRC postdoc in the Bioprocess Measurements group focused on the characterization of sub micrometer particles using orthogonal measurement techniques relevant to the bio manufacturing industry.  He then applied his knowledge of surfaces and interfaces towards understanding how interfaces influence the formation of protein aggregates and sub visible particles.  This work was done in collaboration with AstraZeneca while part of the Polymers and Complex Fluids Group at NIST.   His industrial experience ranges from food science, manufacturing, ink and formulation development.  Currently he is working at Hollister Inc. focused on barrier technology for ostomy care devices using his expertise to better understand the skin-material interface.