Dow Automotive Systems has won the 2015 Golden Mousetrap award in the category of Materials Assembly: Fastening, Joining and Assembly Components for its Betamate 1630 structural adhesive.

“The award recognises design, engineering, and manufacturing in North America and was hosted by UBM Canon and Design News,” Dow Automotive informs in a press release.

Used to bond the body structure of automobiles during assembly, Betamate 1630 enables the use of dissimilar substrates like carbon fiber composites, aluminum or light-weight steel.

“This helps achieve weight savings, improved fuel and assembly efficiencies, and sustainability,” it says.

Additional performance advantages include improved crash safety, vehicle durability, and design flexibility.

It adds, “The continuous bead of adhesive helps reduce noise and vibrations and the need for mechanical fasteners is reduced or eliminated.

“The adhesive is also designed to be easy to apply, providing benefits on the assembly line as well as in the finished vehicle.”

“Betamate 1630 allows us to support global vehicle platforms and security of supply, while helping streamline the customer specification process,” says chief engineer, Mansour Mirdamadi.

He too adds, “Additionally, this structural adhesive provides sustainability benefits by supporting vehicle lightweighting, durability and longevity, and manufacturing efficiencies.”

Betamate 1630 also received a 2014 R&D 100 award after being named one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced in the past year by R&D Magazine.

Dow Automotive Systems provides collaborative solutions and advanced materials for automotive and commercial transportation original equipment manufacturers, tier suppliers and aftermarket customers.

Its materials focus includes structural, elastic and rubber-to-substrate adhesive solutions; polyurethane foams and acoustical management solutions; innovative composite technologies and films and fluids. (AR)