From its origins as 3M's Data Storage Division to our days, Imation has been a leader in magnetic tape technology for more than 50 years with the introduction of the first data storage tape in 1953. Imation continues to be a leader of magnetic technology, offering a broad portfolio of removable data storage products across different market segments.

Due of this background, Sun Microsystems selected Imation as a media manufacturer for the new Sun StorageTek T10000 tape drive. Imation is a co-developer of the Sun StorageTek 9840 and 9940 enterprise tape products.

Combining its Tera Angstrom technology, a proprietary coating formulation and process enabling a terabyte-capacity tape product, with its patented Precision-Tracking "N Pattern" Servo Writing technology, a precise reference pattern enabling nanometer-level tracking accuracy, Imation developed the T10000 media for scale-up at its advanced tape manufacturing facility in Weatherford, Oklahoma. This is the world's first terabyte-class tape facility built for the development of next-generation tape products.

Imation focused on several technologies with the development of this new platform, such as its "N Pattern" time-based servo writing technology, which enables greater track densities required for T10000 tape cartridges, 500 GB and beyond.