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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.
A Smooth Ride Should Begin at Design
Check out how 3M solutions can help take bumps out of critical challenges in the design and manufacturing of chassis and wheels.
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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. -
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. -
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. -
Structural adhesives can help replace metal fasteners in many applications. 3M™ Friction Shims can increase power density and secure connection points between the chassis and components, like battery boxes, which increases safety coefficients. 3M™ Glass Bubbles reduce density in plastic parts, composites and sealants. -
3M continues to develop specialized solutions for NVH management, such as our well-known 3M™ Thinsulate™ Acoustic Insulation. Our solutions also include 3M™ Friction Shims and the high-strength, low-density 3M™ Glass Bubbles for plastics and composites and advanced vibration control materials. -
Put the full power of 3M adhesive and heat dissipation technologies where they are needed most. Our boron nitride cooling fillers promote thermal conductivity in polymer parts. And 3M™ Friction Shims are ideal for advanced brake systems where managing thermal energy is vital for design viability.
Securing critical joints in the chassis with 3M™ Friction Shims
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Metal foil Friction Shims are excellent for strengthening and stabilizing connections in automotive chassis applications. 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.
Need help finding the right solution?
Start by answering a couple questions about your design challenge, and we’ll point you toward some initial solutions for your consideration.
3M™ Wheel Weights for Automotive Manufacturers
Attain precision tire and wheel balancing in your assembly with 3M™ Wheel Weights using our OEM-approved, PACE Award-winning process.
Lead-free 3M wheel weights, combined with Esys Automation's AutoW8t System, represent a leap forward in tire assembly and wheel balancing, dramatically improving the speed, quality and cost of OEM high-speed tire balancing processes.
Level-wound rolls of 3M™ Wheel Weights along with the automated equipment offer:
- Reduced inventory and overall systems cost.
- Potential for reduced residual imbalance in the wheel assembly, reducing the number of balance rejects.
- Elimination of the chance of picking the incorrect weight from the bin.
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Esys Automation's AutoW8t System is designed to use level-wound rolls of 3M™ Wheel Weights in high-speed, high-volume environments, like automotive assemble plants, with exacting specifications. View the videos to the right to see demonstrations of the fully automated AutoW8t System or the semi-automated Dispense and Cut System.
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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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.
