by Martin Moylan, Minnesota Public Radio

July 17, 2012

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ST. PAUL, Minn. Maplewood-based 3M has turned its aerospace business into a separate division, meaning the business will get more attention and investment as 3M products increasingly show up inside and outside the planes we fly on.

Creating a separate division is a sign that 3M wants to elevate its role with aircraft manufacturers and airline maintenance operations.

"We've really taken our business into looking at 'how can a material science company like 3M play a broader role for the aerospace industry, enabling them to build lighter, safer, quieter aircraft faster,' " said Denise Rutherford, vice president of 3M's Aerospace and Aircraft Maintenance Division.

The company sees lots of opportunity in the sector to increase sales of products for which 3M is well-known adhesives, sealants and protective films.

For instance, Rutherford said 3M can help make planes lighter by providing low-weight compounds that reinforce lightweight components, making a plane's structure stronger.

"Every 50 to 100 pounds you can take out of an aircraft enables either fuel efficiency or more luggage or another passenger to go into that plane," she said.

3M sound insulation kits make plane cabins quieter for passengers. And the company's films and tapes help prevent corrosion of aircraft frames and protect wings, nose cones and underbellies. Rutherford said corrosion costs the airline industry about $2 billion a year.

Read the original:

3M aerospace division takes flight