3M and xperion have reached agreement to jointly develop a line of compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks. The line will be branded 3M and will integrate 3M’s Matrix Resin technology with xperion’s engineering and proprietary design technology.
The tanks will be produced in a new xperion facility, currently being constructed near Columbus, OH, in the city of Heath, starting later this year.
“Our mutual goal is to bring superior value to customers in order to accelerate the industry’s adoption of CNG,” said Rory Yanchek, vice president and general manager for 3M’s Aerospace & Commercial Transportation Division. “Many other companies in this space have limited capabilities, but xperion brings broad composites experience and deep manufacturing knowledge on a global scale.”
“The location of this new facility is significant – it will be the closest source of supply of Type 4 tanks for multiple heavy-duty OEM manufacturers,” said Sean Ellen, general manager of xperion. “Combine this dedicated facility with 3M’s pipeline of materials and technologies and our skilled engineering and design team in Kassel, Germany, and we believe we have a solution that will deliver superior value to customers.”
The companies plan to continue to address the light-duty CNG segment as well, where 3M commercially introduced its first CNG tank early last year and xperion introduced its X-STORE CNG tank in 2008. The two companies will collaborate to provide similarly sized tanks using the xperion X-STORE cylinders. 3M and xperion will work to incorporate 3M’s proprietary nanoparticle resin into the design of X-STORE tanks. During the transition, customers can count on the best-in-class support and customer service they’ve come to expect.
“xperion is a global leader in very high precision composite applications, such as industrial rollers, automotive drive shafts, and aerospace components,” continued Yanchek. “They not only have exceptional composite design and engineering capabilities, but a tight focus on precision manufacturing and exceptional quality standards – that’s what really makes them such a great fit with 3M."
