3M support helps Young Engineer for Britain award winner 29 April 2010

A student who turned to technology company 3M for help with his design for a solar powered bicycle has won a Young Engineer for Britain Award for Design, Innovation & Presentation.

Shawn Brown's innovative three-wheeled bike – which he constructed with adhesives donated by 3M – had already won the competition's Welsh regional heats.

"I only agreed to do the programme if they would feature my sponsors' logos," says Shawn. "The help I received from 3M was fantastic and I couldn't have built the bike without them. Making sure I let everyone know was the least I could do to say thank you."

Brown came up with the idea as his A-level design and technology course project. He wanted to create the most sustainable mode of transport he could, using a combination of pedal and solar power.

The moving parts are made from recycled steel, while the frame is bamboo. One of the problems he faced was how to stick it all together. He initially approached 3M's Gorseinon site, which put him in touch with the firm's Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division at Bracknell.

"They not only advised me on the different adhesives I would need, but gave them to me free," recalls Shawn.

3M supplied 3M Scotch-Weld Polyurethane Wood Adhesive 5005 to join the bamboo together and 3M Scotch-Weld EPX Polyurethane Adhesive DP609, a two-part polyurethane product with an applicator gun, for bonding the steel and bamboo.

Brown was also sent 3M Scotch-Weld Epoxy Adhesive 9323 B/A, a two-part epoxy, to soak, bind and seal the hemp lashings that he used between the components.

The finished design helped him not only achieve the top grade at A-level but also gain a special Innovation Award from the Welsh Examination Board for his results. Before going to university in September, he is spending his gap year helping to set up a volunteer student engineering organisation in Ghana.

Brian Tinham

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