3M

3M

3M (pronounced: three-em) is a multinational conglomerate corporation that operates in the fields of industry, worker safety, health care, and consumer goods. The company produces over 60,000 products under several brands, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, window films, paint protection films, dental and orthodontic products, electronic materials, medical products, car-care products, electronic circuits, healthcare software and optical films.

Etymology

The name "3M" comes from the company's original name, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. The company was founded in 1902 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, and it was incorporated in 1929.

Related Terms

• Adhesives: A substance used for sticking objects or materials together.
• Abrasives: A material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away.
• Laminates: A material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together.
• Passive fire protection: An integral component of the components of structural fire protection and fire safety in a building.
• Personal protective equipment: Protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection.
• Window films: A thin laminate film that can be installed to the interior or exterior of glass surfaces in automobiles and boats and also to the interior or exterior of glass in homes and buildings.
• Paint protection films: A thermoplastic urethane often self healing film applied to painted surfaces of a new or used car in order to protect the paint from stone chips, bug splatters, and minor abrasions.
• Dental and orthodontic products: Products used in the care and treatment of teeth and the correction of dental irregularities.
• Electronic materials: Materials used in applications in electronics, from semiconductors to displays.
• Medical products: Products used in healthcare for the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring or treatment of illness or disability.
• Car-care products: Products used in the maintenance and care of automobiles.
• Electronic circuits: A closed path or loop around which an electric current flows.
• Healthcare software: Software used in the healthcare industry to manage the day to day operations of a medical practice.
• Optical films: Thin films with optical properties, used in the construction of optical elements (lenses, mirrors, etc.).

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.