Loctite adhesives bond 3D printed parts for immediate assessment

4moms designs and manufactures products for the baby and toddler market, with dual emphases on innovation and aesthetics. The main products sold are strollers, rocker seats, tubs and other equipment, all of which must meet the highest standards - both technical safety standards and those expected by new parents.

Thanks to 3D printing and the support of Loctite products, 4moms is able to achieve rapid product development in a demanding market. 4moms co-founder Henry Thorne states: "We want to deliver absolutely gorgeous products. To do that, you do not want ugly fasteners sticking out of the sides. Instead, we use Loctite adhesives to hold our products together from the inside, so you get that beautiful look on the outside."

Every day, night and weekend, 4moms' 3D printers are running, constantly printing out the pieces of new product designs. This enables the company to create an entire prototype product that is as functional as the real thing. Finding a way to bond the 3D printed parts is critical, and that is why the company's product engineers reach for Loctite instant adhesives.

Rapid product development

Kevin Dowling, 4moms' vice president of engineering, comments: "The advent of 3D printing, Loctite adhesives and advanced materials allows us to explore faster and get to solutions that are better, and the result of all of that is we have more rapid overall product development. That is what is key in our business."

Among the adhesive products adopted by 4moms is Loctite 401 instant adhesive, a clear, one-component product designed for the assembly of difficult-to-bond materials. The use of an accelerator speeds the cure of the adhesive and enables the prototype to be used immediately.

Thorne says: "Choosing just the right grade, just the right selection, allows us to hold it together in a way that it will never come apart for the customer."

4moms also uses Loctite threadlockers to keep nuts and bolts securely fastened, despite being subjected to constant vibration.

Thorne continues: "The product has to run a thousand hours because it is handed down from child to child, and there are vibration no matter what we do. Motors create vibration, so all the screws want to come loose. Everything in there wants to slowly come apart. We have to find a way to bond these things in such a way that it will never loosen. And that is where Loctite adhesives come in."

4moms uses Loctite adhesives and threadlockers in the design and production of high-tech products that are reliable, durable and beautiful to the eye.

More about Loctite adhesives and threadlockers

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