Current developments in DIN6701 (EN17460) – we need bonding more than ever

As of now (January 26, 2024), the number of companies certified to DIN6701 and its upgrade to EN17460 has reached 320+ in China. Compared with the 270+ companies before the epidemic, the development of the rail transit industry has slowed down in the past three years. And in the industry cycle of steady development, there is still a growth rate of close to 20 companies every year. In view of this, combined with the author's experience in audit work, I would like to talk about some experiences in the development and promotion of bonding standards. I would like to talk about the current development of the bonding system from another perspective.

Just like the number of certifications mentioned above, compared to the end of 2019, the country with the most certificates at that time was Germany (after all, DIN6701 was first developed in Germany), and the number of certificates was close to 390. At that time, our country was still 100 away from the first figure. Today, this figure has been reduced to 60. From the side, it also shows that our country's rail transit industry has an urgent need for bonding.

The newly added companies or products are mainly in the A2 or A3 categories. Compared with the A1 level, the first two have more urgent needs for bonding. In the identification of special processes, in addition to common riveting, bending and welding, etc. Bonding also puts forward higher requirements for the management of the entire process than conventional processes. In addition to welding, bonding has the clearest and most urgent requirements for personnel among currently known quality systems. The Bonding Day Expert Forum in recent years has also shown that various glue-using companies have reached a consensus that "the work is done."

During the review, the author found that after some companies trained grassroots operators, they did not take advantage of the EAB (European Bonding Operator/Operator) personnel. This advantage includes awareness, responsibility, and the ability to identify problems and solve problems. Eliminate quality anomalies based on processes and requirements. At present, the most common mistake is for personnel to change their positions at will, while other personnel do not strictly abide by the relevant procedures for the operation, resulting in great hidden dangers in every bonding process. In the past few years, even A2 pieces, which people usually don’t pay much attention to, have experienced abnormal bonding quality in batches. It is enough to show that bonding cannot be "casual".

Fortunately, after experiencing and understanding these typical failures, more and more companies have begun to pay attention to the management of front-line bonding personnel. In addition to equipping auxiliary personnel to record the bonding process, training is also becoming more and more intensive. is getting bigger, the frequency of training is also increasing.

In the past, everyone admired Made in Germany, but now more and more quality people and technicians realize that "it's better to retreat and build a net than fish in the ocean". After mastering the basic principles of bonding, along with the development of domestic adhesive technology. In material/component connection technology, time has been invested in all aspects of design, process, and quality control. Process documents, verification reports, and process tracking have paved the necessary smooth path for bonding applications.

After gradually realizing the advantages of bonding, most companies have confidently and boldly tried bonding technology. With the mass production of FRP materials and the application of "bonding instead of welding", the application of bonding in the rail transit industry It is becoming more and more diversified, reflected in the diversification of joint forms and the enrichment of materials and products.

As more companies discover in the product design process that the combined use of connection technologies and the load/function have put forward new requirements for products, bonding will be valued with more convenient and skilled technical applications.