STROCO joins Click Bond’s automated bonding launch

STROCO Manufacturing has signed on as Click Bond’s launch partner for Automated Bonding Technology, a new surface-preparation and bonding system unveiled at Farnborough International Airshow on July 21, 2026. The companies say the setup is designed to speed installation, cut variability and move STROCO toward full production by year-end.

Why it matters: - Click Bond is using STROCO Manufacturing as the first customer to prove out Automated Bonding Technology in real production. - The partnership is designed to reduce manual variation in aerospace bonding and speed up installations. - STROCO plans to fully implement the system by the end of 2026, tying the launch to customer and end-user first article inspection approvals.

What happened: - Click Bond and STROCO Manufacturing signed a memorandum of understanding on July 21, 2026, at Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom. - STROCO Manufacturing is a St. Louis-based aerospace and defense company and a division of The Novaria Group. - Click Bond unveiled Automated Bonding Technology at the show as part of its Stronger Together system for modern assembly.

The details: - Automated Bonding Technology, or ABT, is Click Bond’s surface-preparation and bonding suite. - Click Bond says ABT is designed to improve installation quality, consistency and production throughput while reducing process variability and operator dependence. - STROCO’s leadership has committed to implementing the CBA-100 Nutplate Preparation System and the CBA-200 Desktop Bracket Preparation System. - The CBA-100 uses automated laser ablation to prepare nutplate bonding surfaces with minimal operator intervention. - The CBA-200 extends that approach to metallic bracket bonding surfaces and allows faster changeover between bracket types. - Click Bond says ABT combines Class 1 laser surface preparation with precise adhesive dispensation in as little as 30 seconds. - Click Bond says that makes the bonding process seven times faster than manual methods. - Click Bond says the system also supports a safer production environment and more repeatable workflows. - STROCO manufactures small sheet metal parts, machined parts and assemblies for aerospace, defense and industrial applications. - STROCO said the technology adds precision, speed and repeatability that manual methods cannot match. - STROCO said it expects to complete qualification and enter full production by the end of the year. - Click Bond Vice President of Sales & Marketing Rob Trembicki called the partnership one of the most transformative moments in his career.

Between the lines: - The deal gives Click Bond a live showcase customer for a new automation platform in front of aerospace buyers at Farnborough. - The launch suggests Click Bond is trying to move adhesive-bonded fastening further into repeatable, production-floor automation. - STROCO gains early access to a system meant to cut variability and potentially raise output without relying as heavily on manual preparation.

What's next: - STROCO will qualify the system with its customers and end users before full production begins. - Full implementation is expected by the end of 2026. - More information about the ABT suite is available in Click Bond’s announcement.

The bottom line: - Click Bond is betting that automation in surface prep and bonding can make aerospace assembly faster, safer and more consistent, and STROCO is the first customer testing that case in production.