Almost all body shop owners are faced with the challenge of dealing with dirt and dust in their paint jobs and time-consuming maintenance in their paint department.
3M has now come up with a solution to that problem, developing an innovative system to protect the paint booth and reduce paint department expenses.
The 3M Dirt Trap Protection System provides a complete paint booth solution that traps dust, dirt and overspray – reducing defects in paint jobs by as much as 50 per cent.
The Dirt Trap System features an adhesive-backed material that is applied to wall and floor surfaces and a clear film to protect lights and windows. Once the material fills with debris, it is simply removed and replaced.
"We spend a great deal of time working with body shop owners and paint experts in their shops, participating in their daily work to understand the challenges they face and the ways we can apply 3M solutions to help them," 3M division scientist for 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division, Pat Hager, said.
"Our research showed that painters spend a great deal of time removing dust and dirt from paint repairs that stem from airborne contaminants in their paint areas. Our research also showed that painters needed help keeping a freshly painted surface clean and free of defects in their paint booth."
3M was able to leverage several of its existing technology platforms to tackle the problem – using advanced technology and an innovative green, solvent-free process to hold dirt and dust to the surface.
The 3M Dirt Trap System also helps body shop owners protect the investment in their paint booth by keeping the booth clean and bright.
The booth before 3M's Dirt Trap
This eliminates the need for repeated washing that can promote corrosion or the cost of repainting the booth to restore its appearance. It also saves maintenance expenses by eliminating cleaning tasks such as sweeping, rinsing and scraping windows.
This reduction in maintenance increases booth utilisation and minimises the down time for maintenance.
Having launched the product in North America late last year, the feedback has been extremely positive, according to 3M.
US repairer Michael Caruso, Jr., of Central Collision Centers in Oak Forest, near Chicago, said: "We were looking for a solution to alleviate time spent removing dirt and buffing vehicles.
"We maintain a very high standard of cleanliness in our shops. The dirt trap system allows us to reduce dirt in paint work and keep our booth cleaner. We track cycle time quite frequently in terms of average days, hours per day and units per day.
"On average I would say we are able to produce one extra booth cycle per day in a two-man paint shop. That can amount to delivering four to five more vehicles per week, which helps financial performance and helps us deliver insurance company metrics," Caruso said.
Installation, replacement is Easy
The 3M Dirt Trap System is easily applied onto the walls and floors with the magnetic dispenser. The material is easy to handle and allows the installer to reposition during installation, which should be completed in less than two hours.
The 3M Dirt Trap System is designed with flexibility based on a shop’s productivity. It can be simply removed quickly and without slivering when it becomes filled with debris. The wall material would typically need to be replaced every 300 baking hours.
Contact your local 3M distributor or 3M sales representative for more information or visit the website at www.3m.com.au/aad or call 136 136.