Refrigerated and specialised vehicle bodybuilding expert Paneltex has begun using Hodgson Sealants innovative new HY-SPEC hybrid sealant, HS50, for sealing and bonding tasks in its vehicle building processes. HS50 offers unparalleled wet grab properties so it can seal and bond quickly to make Paneltex’s production processes quicker, cleaner, and more accurate, significantly reducing the number of SKUs on the Paneltex shop floor and joining up production processes.
Hull-based Paneltex is one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of refrigerated and specialised commercial vehicle bodies. The company produces everything from the largest trailers to the smallest vans in its 40,000 square metre factory that houses some of the largest vacuum presses in Europe. Every year, Paneltex produces thousands of refrigerated bodies, that offer a safe, reliable way to carry chilled, frozen, or ambient goods.
After conducting a full line audit, Hodgson Sealants has collaborated closely with the team at Paneltex to develop HS50 as a flexible grab sealant especially for vehicle body building. Hodgson’s own in-house R&D team evaluated new HS50 extensively in the company’s labs to ensure that it suited Paneltex’s exact production requirements. Hodgson also provided a Best Practice Guide to assist with training production staff on the shop floor.
“It’s been fantastic for us to work with Hodgson to create the HS50 sealant,” said Paneltex Manufacturing Engineering Manager Shaun Gill. “We’ve expanded our production dramatically in the past few years, and as we’re getting bigger and building more vehicles, it’s important for us to have the support of our suppliers. Hodgson has listened to our needs and formulated the HS50 product with us in mind.”
The company is now using HS50 for a wide variety of panel and rail bonding and sealing tasks. Because of its rapid high strength tack-free curing, using HS50 reduces the need for mechanical fixing on the production line speeding up Paneltex’s whole production processes. Paneltex is also using Hodgson’s HS30 sealant to point around trims on its vehicle bodies, meaning the most sealing and bonding processes can be completed with just one seamless technology.
Hodgson HS50 is neutral cure, high modulus, solvent free adhesive based on Hodgson’s HY-SPEC hybrid polymer technology. With unequalled wet grab, HS50 seals and bonds quickly without the need for mechanical support, making Paneltex’s production processes quicker and more accurate. Once cured to full strength Hodgson HS50 remains flexible, making it the perfect product for sealing and bonding in specialist vehicle manufacturing where flexibility is vital to accommodate movement in the joint and tack free curing that will not pick up dirt. It cures in reaction to moisture in a process known as crosslinking to form a three-dimensional molecular network that is strong yet flexible.
