Believed to be the world's first fire engines constructed using composite materials, the new generation of vehicles emerging from BAI Tecnica's Italian factory have aluminium composite honeycomb panels, bonded with Araldite 2015 structural epoxy paste, supplied by Huntsman Advanced Materials. Composite aluminium panels provide weight savings and are easily assembled using lightweight construction techniques employing adhesives.The 2015 epoxy provides very strong but flexible bonds, as well as offering good impact, weather and high temperature resistance. It cures at room temperature and, being thixotropic in nature, resists sag even when applied at a thickness of up to 10mm. The adhesive bonds various metal substrates, as well as SMC and GRP materials.Huntsman says its Araldite 2015 epoxy is suitable for automotive applications where adhesives and screws work in conjunction in mix lap joints, thus maximising the benefits of both joining techniques.