fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business
fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business
fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business
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FAST OCTOBER 2011<br />
FASTQ & A<br />
Innovation spurs<br />
<strong>fastening</strong> diversity<br />
A company as diverse as 3M attracts customers from the broadest variety of industry. Michael<br />
McCarthy answers some questions arising from the company’s evolving product range <strong>and</strong> its<br />
approach to innovation<br />
What have been 3M’s most significant innovations in <strong>fastening</strong>?<br />
3M has been responsible for a number of key innovations including<br />
masking tape, spray aerosol adhesives, jet-weld, neoprene contact<br />
adhesives <strong>and</strong> two component acrylic structural adhesives that<br />
bond surfaces such as polypropylene <strong>and</strong> polyethylene. Arguably<br />
the most important is VHB tape which was introduced in 1981 <strong>and</strong><br />
so celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.<br />
Over the 30 years we have continued to develop new VHB products<br />
as customers approached us with challenges such as high<br />
strength bonding to painted surfaces or through high temperature<br />
powdercoat paint operations.<br />
VHB tapes are double-sided <strong>and</strong> flexible, often referred to as adhesive<br />
on a roll. This high strength tape has for the first time enabled<br />
tapes to be specified instead of mechanical fasteners in a variety of<br />
highly dem<strong>and</strong>ing applications.<br />
The flexibility or viscoelasticity of VHB tape allows it to cope better<br />
with dem<strong>and</strong>ing environmental conditions, particularly where<br />
metal <strong>fastening</strong>s could fail due to fatigue.<br />
Meanwhile, the versatility of VHB tapes means they are now used<br />
in sectors such as construction where they hold cladding <strong>and</strong> glazing<br />
in place, with no need for unsightly metal fasteners in applications<br />
where aesthetics are key.<br />
What is 3M’s approach to innovation <strong>and</strong> new product<br />
development in <strong>fastening</strong> technologies?<br />
In general, 3M takes a two-pronged approached to product development.<br />
The first, <strong>and</strong> arguably the most important, is what we<br />
term: Customer Inspired Innovation. By this we mean, when working<br />
with customers, we try to not only solve the immediate problem<br />
at h<strong>and</strong> but to see beyond this to how we can solve their unar-<br />
18<br />
ticulated needs. In many cases the customer is not even aware that<br />
these are problems that can be solved.<br />
What gets 3M people out of bed every day is the belief that we can<br />
make our customers more successful. Solving customer problems<br />
<strong>and</strong> helping them to prosper is a fantastic buzz. It is also selfish. If<br />
our customers do well so do we. You could say that we live by the<br />
motto that ‘Your success is our success’.<br />
The other aspect of our product development is what we call the<br />
15 per cent rule. Our research <strong>and</strong> development teams are not just<br />
allowed but are actively encouraged to spend 15 per cent of their<br />
time on projects that are not necessarily part of their core job. For<br />
example, a scientist in an industrial lab could spend their time<br />
working on an idea for a medical or electronics product. This extensive<br />
network of thous<strong>and</strong>s of scientists, continually working across<br />
business sector boundaries, is what makes 3M innovation so great.<br />
How is 3M continuing to evolve existing technologies?<br />
Let’s take the 3M VHB Tape range, which has evolved significantly<br />
since its introduction in 1981. Examples include the introduction of<br />
tapes designed to bond to surfaces at temperatures as low as 0°C<br />
to the opposite end of the scale where we have products that can<br />
withst<strong>and</strong> temperatures up to 230°C. This makes these tapes ideal<br />
for bonding substrates that need to go through a powdercoat process.<br />
More recently VHB tape products that can even bond to low<br />
surface energy materials like polypropylene <strong>and</strong> polyethylene have<br />
been introduced to the market with great success.<br />
At a well-attended 30th anniversary event recently we introduced<br />
the latest additions to the range which are VHB RP Tapes. This new<br />
family of VHB Tapes truly sum up our commitment to continuous<br />
innovation! These tapes have been manufactured to allow cus-<br />
Michael McCarthy is general sales <strong>and</strong> marketing manager within the Industrial<br />
Adhesives <strong>and</strong> Tapes division at 3M United Kingdom plc. He joined the company in<br />
Irel<strong>and</strong> in 1977 supporting the <strong>Business</strong> Products Division <strong>and</strong>, after progressing<br />
from technical roles to sales, relocated to 3M in the UK in 1996 as marketing<br />
manager for Library Systems.<br />
Since then, he has held both national <strong>and</strong> European roles, becoming general sales<br />
<strong>and</strong> marketing manager for safety <strong>and</strong> security systems. Michael studied Electrical<br />
Engineering at the Dublin Institute of Technology <strong>and</strong> prior to joining 3M worked<br />
in manufacturing.
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