Customer collaboration is a key driver of 3M’s innovation process and enables the accelerated development of solutions. This customer-centric approach is even more critical in the rapidly evolving automotive industry, as highlighted by Brian Coleman, president of 3M’s automotive and aerospace solutions division, at the recent MOVE America mobility summit.
“3M solutions are in—or have aided in the manufacturing of—nearly every automobile, fleet, commercial vehicle, or aircraft in the world,” Coleman said. “As these industries work to address the shared challenges of manufacturing efficiency, quality, performance, and passenger safety, it’s our process of working shoulder-to-shoulder that keeps them coming back to 3M.”
To illustrate how 3M uses strategic insights, proprietary technologies and a collaborative approach to advance mobility solutions, Coleman shared three examples of customer challenges that led to innovative industry solutions:
Lightweighting to boost performance and efficiency
“The biggest thing we were focused on prior to the rise of electric vehicles was trying to improve performance and fuel economy through lightweighting.” Coleman said.
3M developed a variety of cross-vehicle solutions by applying existing technologies in new ways. Solutions like 3M Glass Bubbles—high-strength, low-density hollow glass microsphere—were used create durable composite materials, and Thinsulate™ was used for acoustic, thermal and electrical insulation.
3M estimates that its lightweighting solutions helped some automotive manufacturers reduce vehicle weights by up to 15-20%. And now, its expertise is helping to extend battery range and improve passenger experience in EVs.
Agile thermal management for evolving battery pack design
As the EV market took off, conventional manufacturers sought to enter the market and push the industry forward with higher driving ranges and faster charging rates.
“As they were trying to meet those criteria, they went to a much higher-density battery that required significant improvement in thermal management,” said Coleman. “To solve that issue, they came to 3M.”
By leveraging its decades of experience with thermal management technologies in internal combustion engines, 3M could develop and quickly scale up production of solutions.
“It’s not so much about the product, it’s about the process,” he said. “We worked shoulder-to-shoulder and bench-to-bench trying to understand what the design criteria were and how we could help them meet customer demands.”
On-demand debonding for serviceability and resource recovery
As 3M works to deliver what the automotive industry needs next, the company known for “things that stick” is focused on disrupting its own technology.
“We actually have to undo what we’ve been doing very well for a century—we have to start debonding and be able to debond on-demand,” Coleman said.
By working alongside OEMs, 3M is advancing solutions that offer a strong seal for EV battery cases during assembly and use but can be quickly broken to enable repairs or the recovery of key resources at end-of-life.
Solving future challenges together
As the transportation industry evolves with new challenges and opportunities, 3M welcomes the opportunity to work alongside market leaders and innovate system-wide solutions. By applying 3M science and following its customer-centric innovation approach, the company is primed to deliver the future of mobility.
