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The Pure Expression of Performance
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When automotive design meets the road itself, it’s critical that everything holds together, works together and performs flawlessly. That means more than just the suspension joints, wheel drums, brake systems and stamped metal parts that make up your designs. It means the solutions you choose need to perform their best. For decades, 3M has created and developed solutions for the areas where high performance is crucial during automotive chassis design and manufacturing – bonding, power density, heat transfer, acoustics, wheel weight distribution and many others. 3M solutions help your designs express themselves best where it matters the most – on the road.
Assembly
3M helps bring automotive designs to life by making the assembly process smoother and more efficient. That means fastener adhesives activated upon insertion, customizable 3M™ Friction Shims that enable ease of design and assembly solutions, die-cuttable protection films that can be used for isolation and more.
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A solution within a solution: 3M Fastener Adhesives add two-part structural adhesive strength to threaded fasteners without the need for mixing.
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Our 3M Friction Shims help answer the demand for maximum power density – enhancing friction to transmit higher loads while enabling lightweight designs.
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Our structural adhesive liquids are heat-cured for hem bonding, crash-resistant bonding and replacement of mechanical fasteners in many applications.
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The power of 3M structural adhesives in a tape format makes for added precision where clean, complete application is critical and where corrosion is a main concern.
Automation
For every automotive OEM and tier solution we develop – 3M™ Wheel Weights, for example – we apply equal thought to how it fits into automotive operations. Solutions such as structural adhesives can be packaged and delivered for immediate use to suit your specific processes and automation equipment.
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These liquids afford flexible working times making them suitable for quick, efficient application using automated mixing and application equipment.
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Composite-based, non-lead and very flexible, 3M Wheel Weight materials meet and exceed OEM performance standards and integrate easily into high-speed tire balancing processes.
Control and Handling
The ultimate test for OEM design: incorporating performance improvement. Our 3M™ Friction Shims can enable strong chassis connection points for secure grip, protection from shear force slippage and reduced potential vibrations. And our 3M™ Wheel Weights can provide balance and precision without extra process steps.
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3M Friction Shims reliably transmit up to 4X higher torque than conventional systems without requiring modifications to joint design.
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The 3M Wheel Weight System combines conformable wheel-balancing material and industry-leading 3M Automotive Attachment Tape technology to provide an all-in-one wheel weight balancing system that delivers secure attachments in less time.
Lightweighting
Reduced weight starts where the vehicle design does – at ground level. 3M meets you there with comprehensive, groundbreaking solutions that meet chassis and wheels lightweighting challenges from the road upward.
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Our 3M Friction Shims help answer the demand for maximum power density – enhancing friction to transmit higher loads while enabling lightweight designs.
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3M Glass Bubbles can be used in injection molded parts and sheet molded composites (SMCs), ideal for lightweight door panels hoods and trunk lids.
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Many are formulated for longer storage and lower cure temperatures (induction curing as low as 80°C), which is ideal for bonding materials such as carbon fibre in automotive OEM structures and substructures without distortion or resin degradation.
Quieter Vehicles for a Noisy World
Noise is a fact of life in today’s world, as are electrified powertrains and lighter-weight materials. Developing the next generation of vehicles requires solutions for eliminating noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) far above and beyond traditional methods. Explore our expansive and growing application of acoustic science in chassis and wheels design and manufacturing.
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Our 3M Thinsulate™ Acoustic Insulation is available in a broad range of weights and thicknesses for acoustic absorption.
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3M Friction Shims help answer the demand for maximum power density – enhancing friction to transmit higher loads.
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Our cross-industry expertise allows 3M to provide advanced material technology to automotive OEM and Tier spaces in the form of 3M Glass Bubbles – microscopic, hollow glass microspheres that feature an extremely high strength-to-density ratio.
The Power of staying cool
3M thermal management solutions may not be visible on the production line. When it comes to your wheel and chassis designs, however, our solutions show up exactly where you need them. Lightweight polymer parts keep your assemblies running cool and can be produced just as you’ve designed them.
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3M Boron Nitride Cooling Fillers are ideal for electrical insulation in EV and HEV powertrains.
Featured Resources
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This quick-reference, four-page brochure provides features and benefits of 3M™ Wheel Weight material. It includes ordering info for the material and for a related accessories and equipment.
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Securing critical joints in the chassis with 3M™ Friction Shims
Metal foil Friction Shims are excellent for strengthening and stabilizing connections in automotive chassis application. An electroless nickel matrix is coated with partially embedded diamonds that «bite» into the opposing surfaces between two components, creating a microform fit. Friction Shims can increase friction up to 5x in bolted joints, allowing for much higher performance without increasing the number of fasteners or assembly size. They are excellent as a design-in solution or as a ‘quick fix’ during testing.
Do you have any further questions or need help? No problem – please write to us!
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