3M Tape

3M Tape

The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, more commonly referred to as 3M, produces highly recognized brands for the home or office, and for the graphic, electronic, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, safety, security and protection industries.  They have been in the business for over a century and are most well known for their line of adhesives, including Scotch Tape® and Command® products.  3M currently dominates the tape industry, producing virtually every kind on the market today.  Their innovation and dedication to improving their products for a global market keeps 3M expanding.  The success of Scotch® and Masking® Tape sparked hundreds of other tape products by 3M.  Currently, they produce duct tapes, marking tapes, vinyl and polyethylene tapes, slick surface tapes, protective tapes, metal foil tapes, cloth and glass cloth tapes, polyester tapes, specialized tapes, dispensers, applicators and accessories. Recent innovations from 3M include Post-it® Super Sticky Notes and Scotch® transparent duct tape.

Scotch Tape®, invented in the 1920s, used the then-new transparent material cellophane to make a versatile adhesive used in the home and office.  Originally, it was produced for sealing products protected by cellophane and adhesive was only applied to the outer edges.  That quickly changed after criticism, and has been made with adhesive covering the whole side ever since.  Masking Tape®, Scotch Tape®'s predecessor, was also invented, by the same 3M employee.  In the 1920s, two-toned cars became very popular.  In order to make them, 1 portion of the car had to be masked off while the other was painted.  At that time, no product existed that wouldn't ruin the paint job.  Dick Drew, a 3M employee, invented Masking Tape® to alleviate this common automotive issue. 

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