3M announced the launch of Ask 3M, an AI-powered digital assistant designed to give industrial customers direct, self-service access to 3M technical expertise.
The tool is intended to help users evaluate 3M materials, compare product options, and address application challenges more efficiently.
Ask 3M’s responses are built on verified documentation and application knowledge across 3M’s 49 technology platforms.
The conversational AI experience currently focuses on industrial adhesives and tapes, with plans to expand into additional categories over time.
Customers can ask questions in plain language and receive answers about topics such as selecting the right 3M adhesive or tape for a specific application, locating product information, and identifying recommended methods for solving technical challenges.
3M said the tool is designed to simplify product discovery and technical exploration while supporting a more self-directed customer experience.
Ask 3M can also help customers compare products, review usage guidance, and explore application-specific questions. Example queries include identifying structural adhesives for carbon fiber and aluminum sheeting, comparing 3M VHB Tape 5952 and Adhesive Transfer Tape 468MP, and learning how to use 3M Scotch-Weld DP420NS Black.
The company said Ask 3M’s interface will feel familiar to users of AI chat tools, but its answers are grounded in verified 3M documentation, company expertise, and validated product knowledge rather than open internet data.
The tool also links product suggestions to authorized 3M distributors and allows users to download source documents directly within the conversation.
3M said Ask 3M is designed to reduce delays tied to lengthy conversations, site visits, or extended email follow-up by giving customers faster access to technical information.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our customers rely on 3M for deep application expertise and collaborative problem-solving across a wide range of industries. Ask 3M extends that expertise in a new way, giving customers faster, more direct access to the information they need to evaluate options and make decisions.”
Chris Goralski, Group President, Safety and Industrial Business Group at 3M
“It took a very basic question and it helped us unfold all the other needs in order to pinpoint a product. It’s definitely a tool that we would use on a daily basis.”
Production engineer in the industrial manufacturing sector
