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Creativity Without the Weight
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Materials such as adhesives, 3M™ Glass Bubbles and fasteners carry a distinct advantage: they can help you use lighter substrates than those commonly used in automotive OEM design. With our long automotive history and our technologies in adhesives and advanced materials, 3M can supply solutions that help you transform your designs: tapes for bonding dissimilar surfaces and mixed material joints, reclosable fasteners that help create sleeker lines, structural adhesives that can reinforce or replace metal fasteners, and much more. 3M™ Glass Bubbles add performance without the weight, and 3M™ Friction Shims allow for increased power density and torque loads without the need for more or larger joint designs. This is just the start. Let’s explore what we can create together.
Adding Performance Through Subtraction
What you don’t build into your designs is just as important as what you do. Join us as we develop and deliver solutions for even lighter designs.
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Reinforcing – and even replacing – welds and metal fasteners during the body-in-white process is more than just a possibility – it’s a reality. 3M develops and delivers a range of structural adhesives that are available as liquids and tapes to help meet design objectives, inhibit corrosion and make assembly more efficient. -
Along with our advanced structural adhesives for reducing weight in critical automotive chassis designs, 3M™ Friction Shim technology secures fixation onto the chassis, which decreases the number and size of connection points to enable lighter-weight designs with reduced component sizes. -
Instead of mechanical fasteners, 3M provides acrylic foam tapes formulated specifically for reliable bonding to automotive trim, parts and paint systems. These tapes deliver excellent stress relaxation under load and conform to complex geometries. Many can be applied without primer or adhesion promoters, eliminating production steps. -
3M helps you replace traditional sound deadening materials with our lightweight 3M™ Thinsulate™ Acoustic Insulation and our advanced 3M™ Glass Bubbles technology helps you achieve lighter weight without sacrificing performance. This is in addition to our wide range of bonding, mounting and adhesive transfer tapes, structural adhesives and reclosable fasteners.
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You need to make automobiles lighter. We can help.
Whether you’re a manufacturer or auto industry supplier, there is pressure to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy – all while keeping performance at its peak and your manufacturing costs in check, including:
- The stringent emissions rules being implemented in the US, China and EU designed to combat global warming
- The need to reduce mass in hybrid and electric vehicles to achieve maximum efficiency and range
- The challenge of reducing weight in automobiles while retaining or improving performance and affordability
Design and build lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles with the help of 3M automotive lightweighting solutions.
Download the 3M Lightweight eBook (PDF, 6.47 MB) to learn more about the global challenges and solutions for lighter, more efficient vehicles.
3M Automotive Lightweighting Technologies
Discover 3M technologies for lightweight vehicle construction and learn how 3M supports you in developing efficient, low-emission products.
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Advanced Lightweight Materials
3M™ Glass Bubbles can be used in the design of a variety of interior and exterior automotive applications. From body panels and engine covers to liquid plastisol for seam sealing applications, 3M Glass Bubbles can enable your lightweighting needs. Using this filler helps reduce the overall weight of the part while also optimizing manufacturing efficiencies.
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Adhesive Solutions
The auto industry is using a variety of materials to reduce weight in vehicle designs. 3M has bonding and joining solutions for the modern materials being used today - from plastics to aluminum to composites – we have an answer.
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Increasing the Coefficient of Friction
Downsizing doesn't have to mean a downgrade in performance. 3M™ Friction Shims enhance friction to transmit higher loads while enabling more compact and lightweight designs.
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Quieter Ride
Lightweight designs dominate automotive development today, but acoustic absorbers can contribute to both weight savings and increased customer satisfaction by giving passengers a quieter ride.
Automotive Lightweighting Materials: Making Vehicles Lighter
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Cars need to be greener. As government regulations and consumer demand push automotive manufacturers toward more sustainable solutions, OEMs and Tiers are relying on lightweight components to reduce weight and meet performance standards. Manufacturers are currently benefitting from important innovations in materials to help reduce weight in vehicle designs, but dissimilar materials can be tricky to put together. 3M has solutions to help you execute your vehicle designs of the future with a portfolio of tapes, adhesives and reclosable fasteners that address the challenges of using modern materials.
Because every ounce counts!
Studies show that using lightweight materials can cut a vehicle’s body and chassis weight in half – helping to dramatically increase fuel economy and improve range in hybrids, plug-ins and all electric vehicles.¹
Self adhesive body and door seals improve NVH and diminish water and dust intrusion while reducing weight.
Self adhesive body and door seals improve NVH and diminish water and dust intrusion while reducing weight.
Double-sided adhesive tapes, films and liquid adhesives are playing an increasingly important role in vehicle design – helping vehicle manufactures bond dissimilar and modern materials.
Double-sided adhesive tapes, films and liquid adhesives are playing an increasingly important role in vehicle design – helping vehicle manufactures bond dissimilar and modern materials.
Also in the underbody coating the hollow glass spheres can be used as filler material to reduce weight.
Also in the underbody coating the hollow glass spheres can be used as filler material to reduce weight.
Diamond-studded washers increase the transmissible torque and thus allow the construction of smaller and lighter engines.
Diamond-studded washers increase the transmissible torque and thus allow the construction of smaller and lighter engines.
Non-woven acoustic absorbers from 3M are up to 50% lighter than conventional materials made up of cotton and felt. These mold, mildew and moisture resistant pieces are used in doors, headliners, wheel arches, package trays, pillars and instrument panels.
Non-woven acoustic absorbers from 3M are up to 50% lighter than conventional materials made up of cotton and felt. These mold, mildew and moisture resistant pieces are used in doors, headliners, wheel arches, package trays, pillars and instrument panels.
This thin, light, self- adhesive film reduces vibration and noise in engine compartments, door panels and headliners – giving passengers a more comfortable ride.
This thin, light, self- adhesive film reduces vibration and noise in engine compartments, door panels and headliners – giving passengers a more comfortable ride.
Microscopic hollow glass beads of chemically resistant borosilicate glass are incorporated into plastic parts. They have a lower density and are up to 80% lighter than mineral fillers.
Microscopic hollow glass beads of chemically resistant borosilicate glass are incorporated into plastic parts. They have a lower density and are up to 80% lighter than mineral fillers.
The self-adhesive film is used for noise damping, inter alia, in the engine compartment, in the inner panel or in the headliner. It reduces vibration and noise, is extremely light and thin.
The self-adhesive film is used for noise damping, inter alia, in the engine compartment, in the inner panel or in the headliner. It reduces vibration and noise, is extremely light and thin.
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Almost a quarter lost in weight
Weight saving in the fascia
Together with two partner companies, 3M has developed a lightweight construction material that reduces the weight of the rear apron of a vehicle. Here, the microscopic glass bubbles from 3M are used.
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Tapes and Adhesives enabling lightweight design
Alternatives to spot welding
For more than 45 years, automotive manufacturers and suppliers have used 3M™ Acrylic Foam Tapes to attach vehicle components such as moldings, trim and door seals. In recent years, the tendency to join parts with adhesives has increased significantly.
Need Help Finding the Right Solution?
3M is constantly working to meet the evolving challenges of automotive OEM and Tier suppliers worldwide. If you need help finding an existing solution or would like to talk about specific ideas you’re working on, get in touch with us.