3m

MAKUHARI, Japan--What if every window of your home or office could generate power? See-through solar films developed by 3M also make your windows shatter-resistant.

At the Ceatec 2011 electronics trade show outside Tokyo, the company was showing off its green-tinged, flexible transparent photovoltaic films on regular and curved glass surfaces.

It was the second time the tech was being displayed, following a brief showing that unfortunately coincided with the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The films stick onto windows, making them less susceptible to breaking in quake-prone Japan. They consist of five layered sheets and an organic photovoltaic substance.

They also help keep interiors cooler by absorbing more than 90 percent of infrared light, reducing the need for air conditioning in summer. At the 3M booth at Ceatec, there was a 13-degree C difference on one side of a window compared to the other, which was heated by powerful lamps but plastered with the sheets. … Read more

IBM and 3M today said they will develop new adhesives designed to build silicon towers that will be packaged on 3D semiconductors.

The collaboration--IBM brings the semiconductor know-how and 3M is the adhesive expert--aims to make commercial 3D chips via new materials.

According to IBM, the idea is to stack semiconductors in layers up to 100 chips. These chip stacks would allow for better integration and system-on-a-chip capability. Compute, networking, and memory could be stacked on one processor.

IBM has outlined nanoscale breakthroughs before, but one big hurdle is finding the materials to package these 3D silicon skyscrapers. New adhesives … Read more

Interbrand released a report today ranking the world's most green brands in terms of both perception and performance.

The companies on their list are not just using green initiatives as a way of creating a positive image with consumers. They are also making money from them.

Toyota ranked first, not only due to the financial success of its hybrid-electric Prius and its partnership on the all-electric Tesla. But since 1992 the auto manufacturer has also made large strides reducing energy use, water consumption, waste, and toxic emissions, according to Interbrand.

Among the 50 top green brands, Toyota is followed … Read more

Visteon and 3M today unveiled the C-Beyond concept to the market in India. This is the second Growth Market Car collaboration between the two companies.

Visteon brings numerous innovative options to the C-Beyond, including a compact heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit with thinner heat exchangers that take up less room in the interior. Electronics options include a scalable instrument cluster with an electronic or mechanical integrated control panel. A customizable instrument panel can be full-size or two-thirds size, depending on which consumers prefer. And "a rear-facing fan on the back of the center console cost-effectively eliminates the … Read more

In the beginning there was tap water. (Well, not the beginning-beginning, but it's a good place to start.) Faucets everywhere poured forth the most essential of ingredients: water. Jugs, buckets, and bottles were filled with H2O and carried about. Eventually, somebody figured out that people would pay for individual bottles of water, and industry took notice. Now, water bottles populate store shelves, seemingly outnumbering soda in the amount of varieties available. Problem is, all those water bottles are a terrific waste.

Luckily, water is readily available, and the stuff that comes out of a tap is regulated. However, regulated … Read more

Nissan and Original Wraps today launched Nissan Graphics for the Cube, and soon for the Juke, Frontier, and other models.

The decorative wraps come in graphics for side, front, and hood. The decorations are all printed on automotive-grade 3M Scotchprint On-Demand vinyl and are fade-resistant.

The catalog features stars, stripes, polka dots, and flowers, so the images should appeal to tastes ranging from subtle to bold.

Prices range from $100 to $300 with installation.

3M has signed a deal to acquire biometric security firm Cogent Systems for $943 million, the companies announced Monday.

According to 3M, it will pay $10.50 per share for Cogent, representing an 18 percent premium over the stock price at market close Friday. 3M will purchase all shares of Cogent "within 10 business days," according to the agreement.

Pasadena, Calif.-based Cogent sells finger, palm, iris, and face biometric systems to governments, law enforcement, and businesses.

The decision of 3M--a massive conglomerate--to acquire Cogent is based on its view that the biometrics market is booming. Cogent is … Read more

While 3M has already announced a third-generation pico projector, the MPro150, we finally got around to reviewing its current second-generation model, the $300 MPro120.

In case you don't know what a pico projector is, as its name implies, it's a miniature handheld projector that's capable of casting a big image (3M says the MPro120 can project an image from 8 inches to 50 inches). The key to these pint-size projectors is that they use an LED light source that's very energy efficient.

While Pico projectors come in different shapes and sizes, most cost between $300 and $… Read more