Adhesion in Composites Manufacturing
By Hugh Simpson (Frame & Body Co-Lead 2024) & Vu Phan (Frame & Body member 2024)

Henkel’s support at Team Swinburne gives us the ability to manufacture many components of our Formula SAE racing car in house. Within the Frame and Body section (which is responsible for all aerodynamic components and chassis design and manufacture), we use a variety of Henkel Loctite products for a diverse range of applications.
For example, most of our composite manufacture work relies on the use of Frekote 700NC mould release to ensure that the carbon fibre component separates from the mould after the resin is cured.
In the making of our chassis (carbon fibre monocoque), we rely on Teroson 5065 automotive adhesive to adhere our critical hardpoint aluminium inserts to the main carbon fibre structure.
Loctite’s 5-minute epoxy is a go-to for our aerodynamic development team as its short curing time and strong adhesion facilitates rapid manufacture of aerodynamic component moulds, which is a necessity in such a dynamic section.
With each passing research and development cycle of Team Swinburne, we rely on Henkel’s products to discover new and innovative solutions that are critical to the continuing success of the team.
