Adhesives continue to replace mechanical fasteners in a variety of assemblies, says Brendan M. Cullinan, the technology director of coatings and construction at Brenntag North America. Large-surface-assembly adhesives and laminates are now designed to encompass the full surface area, remain malleable when dry, and bond rapidly without the need of fixing-in-place. Adhesives are being formulated equally in water-borne and solvent-borne systems and are more popularly made into industrial-strength films and tapes. These industrial, automated adhesive/tape applications are replacing manually applied adhesives, leading to lower production and labor costs.