3M™ Novec™ Chemical To Exit Market: Here’s The Replacement You Need

This article is also available in Spanish.

On December 20th, 2022, 3M™ announced its intended exit from the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) market, effectively taking away 58 3M™ products, including all Novec™ PFAS products by 2025. In said announcement, 3M™ stated the following:

“3M will continue to fulfill contractual obligations during the transition period. Please note that regardless of any order acknowledgment, 3M may not be able to supply your orders due to continuing force majeure events and supply constraints, and we strongly urge customers to find alternative sources of supply.”

While the company is providing a two-year buffer period to make the transition, it’s urged that customers start their transition process to 3M™ Novec™ replacement products now. Since the initial announcement, many companies have been confused when trying to assess if their operations are/will be directly affected by this market withdrawal. At PAC, it is our intention to keep our customers informed on any relevant market and industry changes. This article will discuss what industries and products are affected by the market withdrawal of 3M™ Novec™ and present our solution to Novec’s coming absence: Techspray.

Additional Reading: PFAS Chemicals: What are They and How Can You Replace Them?

Affected Industries and Products

Understanding if and how the 3M™ announcement will affect your company is the critical first step of this transition. Many might not yet be aware that products vital to their operations contain a Novec™ component and our experts are here to help clear things up. Here is a list of some of the most affected industries:

• Aerospace
• Medical Devices
• Automotive
• Aviation
• Jewelry Manufacturing
• Electronic Assembly Industries

The Aerospace and Medical Device industries have the most pressing urgency in making the transition to a new product or products. So, even with the two-year buffer period, companies in these industries should be seriously considering making a switch in the coming year.

For all affected industries, here is a complete list of impacted 3M™ products.

How This Affects Industries With Vapor Degreasing Operations

One major process affected by the dissolvement of Novec™ is vapor degreasing. Vapor degreasing is a cleaning process where a special machine uses solvent vapors to cleanse and eradicate contaminants from the object being cleaned. This process is commonly performed on various manufacturing materials like plastic, glass, metal, gold, and ceramic. The industries previously mentioned all rely on precision cleaning as an integral part of their manufacturing process and will benefit from the direct replacements that Techspray offers.

Our Proposed 3M™ Novec™ Replacement: Techspray

Who Is Techspray?

Since 1968 Techspray has been committed to meeting the demands of its customers in the most efficient way possible. With a mission to provide cutting-edge and reliable products with top-of-the-line efficiency and safety, Techspray continues to make a successful impact in the industry. The company develops powerful cleaning solutions, conformal coatings, solder masks, and soldering tools, as well as formulates and blends a variety of chemicals and support products for the electronics industry, heavy industry, aviation, and plant and equipment maintenance.

3M™ Novec™ Replacement

Techspray has been on top of the situation since the announcement by 3M™ in December. They’ve since compiled a list of direct product replacements they offer to help companies quickly identify where they can source their replacements and begin the transition process. A list of advantages you can expect from switching to Techspray vapor degreasing solvents include the following:

• Immediate Shipment
• Lower Cost
• Stronger Performance
• Effective on a Wide Variety of Soils
• Low Toxicity

Here are the direct replacements you can get from Techspray:

Making The Switch With PAC & Techspray

Production Automation Corporation (PAC) is a specialized full-service distributor of equipment and supplies for Electronic, Semiconductor, Med. Device and Cleanroom industries. Thanks to our decades-long partnership with Techspray, we are able to provide a strategic transition plan for all of your Vapor Degreasing products.

For any questions regarding the 3M™ Novec™ market withdrawal, how it affects you, or how you can get the transition process started at your company, don’t hesitate to contact one of our sales experts today.