3M expands capacity for 3M Novec products
Published: 21 June, 2011
Facility in Cordova (Illinois) to be expanded to meet market demand for the sustainable technology.
“The Cordova expansion represents a significant investment by 3M into U.S. manufacturing and supports sustainability due to the excellent environmental characteristics of the 3M Novec brand line,” said Joe Koch, business director for 3M Electronics Markets Materials Division. “The added capacity will allow 3M to stay ahead of market demand for sustainable chemistries, and it will help customers manage their environmental footprint by enabling replacement of ODS and GHGs.”
Koch went on to state that there is a lot of confusion and apprehension over the evolving policy and regulation targeting non-sustainable chemistry such as potent greenhouse gasses. Koch added, “Customers are looking for the confidence that Novec fluids provide in knowing their processes are safe for people and the environment now and into the foreseeable future.”
Novec fluids are an ideal replacement for substances with undesirable toxicity or environmental properties, including the ozone-depleting substances being phased out under the Montreal Protocol or those chemistries that have high global warming potentials.
Notable applications of 3M Novec branded products include use as a fire protection fluid for high-value assets such as artifacts, documents, data centers, computers and other critical devices where water cannot be used.
Novec 1230 fluid has found its way into the archives of The Pennsylvania State Library to protect invaluable historical assets of the Benjamin Franklin collection and at The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo protecting the cultural heritage of Texas. Novec technology is also being used in a preservation application helping visitors at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History view a 330-pound, 24-foot giant squid. The wet specimen is being safely preserved by a 3M Novec Engineered Fluid. The Novec fluid provides a clear view of the specimen, unlike alcohol, which can yellow. Novec fluids are used extensively for cleaning and cooling in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
