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Navigating new and existing paint challenges to help achieve streamlined success.
Tips, resources and products to help you manage color complexity, texture matching and OEM standards
Automotive painting is evolving, presenting new challenges for painters. Color application is increasingly complex, due to increased use of specialty colors and metallics across vehicle manufacturers. Painters need more technical skills to handle color complexity, match new textures and meet OEM paint requirements. Today's painters must adapt to the intricacies of modern paint formulations.
Below we explore the challenges and best practices of color complexity, texture matching, OEM paint requirements and production efficiency—to help you simplify the complex paint process.
Navigating complex color applications: Challenges, best practices, and solutions
The evolution of paint colors and techniques continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the industry. Achieving the right finish now requires a combination of adapting to environmental factors, advanced materials, precise equipment, and expert application skills. As these trends continue, being aware of the technology and techniques will be crucial for success in the increasingly sophisticated world of automotive painting.
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Successful color and paint application starts with:
- Ensuring proper equipment setup for finer atomization and smooth finishes.
- Engaging in continuous training to adapt to evolving paint colors and technologies.
- Enhancing your and your shop's understanding of paint properties for effective mixing and application.
- Recognizing specialty colors during estimation to account for additional time and expenses.
- Meeting OEM paint standards and staying updated on guidelines for compliant and quality repairs.
Below, explore 3M resources and products to help you navigate complex color applications.
Infographic: Making complex color and paint line application, simpler (PDF, 97.2 KB)
Article: Navigating the complex world of automotive color and paint lines
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Spray Guns
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Atomizing Heads
Matching new challenging textures: Key strategies to implement now
Matching textures is a new challenge for painters. Undercoats, like rocker guard, once had uniform textures but now vary in texture across manufacturers. Topcoats need to match panel textures for invisible repairs. If the factory orange peel is rough, you'll need to spray to match that texture. Proper spray gun setup and masking techniques are essential.
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Consider implementing these five key strategies to help match these challenging textures:
- Recognize texture variety and learn adapt your technique accordingly,
- Using quality masking materials when creating crisp or soft transition lines,
- Modify spray gun distance, overlap and speed to replicate surrounding panel texture,
- Stay updated on evolving paint technologies and refine your skills and master new application methods, and
- Adjust settings like fluid flow, air pressure, and tip size to achieve desired textures.
Below, explore 3M resources and products to help you match new challenging textures.
Fine-tune your technique: Explore the infographic for matching textures (PDF, 97.2 KB)
YouTube Texture Matching Series including: Matching rock and chip guards, Transition Lines and Final application
Meeting OEM paint requirements: Three essential requirements for compliance
Adhering to OEM paint requirements can help ensure quality, compliance and cost-efficiency over time. It's important to check these requirements for every paint job, guidelines can change on a weekly or monthly basis.
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To meet strict OEM paint requirements consider the following in your repair planning:
- Mil thickness, radar-safe paint formula and non-reparable areas
- Integrate paint processes and formula lookups into your shop's repair planning
- Equip your shop with ferrous and non-ferrous mil thickness gauges for accurate measurements before and after painting.
Discover the importance of OEM paint requirements—Download the infographic (PDF, 97.2 KB)
Article: A starting guide - Meeting OEM requirements for paint
Maximizing paint booth efficiency: Strategies for minimizing waste and maximizing output
The paint booth can be a bottleneck due to drying times, use of specialty colors and wasted booth space. Rising paint costs make accurate estimates and quality checks vital. Improve efficiency with parts-off painting, booth schedules, tracking refinish hours and premixing colors.
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Improving paint efficiency and reducing waste may require some trial and error, but here are some places to start:
- Consider removing parts from vehicles before painting to free up booth space
- Use a dry erase board and create a dedicated booth schedule to plan cycles for the next day
- Implement floor staging to organize parts effectively before you move them into the paint booth
- Use mixing software to ensure accurate paint mixing and consider tinting primers to reduce basecoat usage
- Ensure proper application techniques are used and adjust spray gun settings to suit your needs
Transform your painting process with these efficiency tips—Download the infographic (PDF, 97.2 KB)
Transform your complex paint processes.
Whether you are looking for the products or training to help your paint processes, we can help.
What do you need help with?
Explore 3M™ Performance Spray Gun Paint System
Designed for the modern professional painter, 3M™ Performance Spray Gun is designed specifically to save you time while delivering top-of-the-line performance. Its integrated system includes quick-change replaceable HVLP and fine finish atomizing heads and 3M™ PPS™ Series 2.0 Spray Cups, which makes for faster cleanup, changeovers and cycle times. Learn more about the whole system below.
See the newest generation spray gun product details or check out our original 3M™ Performance Spray Gun
See the newest generation spray gun product details or check out our original 3M™ Performance Spray Gun
Explore the fine finish atomizing heads product details
Explore the fine finish atomizing heads product details
Frequently Asked Questions about paint efficiency tips, resources and solutions
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Where can I find more information about texture matching and the solutions you provide?
We have a few key resources to learn more about navigating new, challenging textures. Learn more with our infographic (PDF, 97.2 KB) that provides helpful tips and tricks when matching undercoats and topcoats. We even have a helpful. YouTube video series on Texture Matching with our 3M™ Performance Spray Gun System.
See our texture matching solutions – 3M™ Performance Spray Gun, 3M™ Performance Spray Gun H/O Conversion Pack, and 3M™ PPS™ Series 2.0 Type H/O Pressure Cup.
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Where can I find OEM repair procedures on the paint side?
Always access OEM procedures through the original manufacturer’s website. Here are the links for direct access:
Third-Party Websites
Provides Reparability Technical Support (RTS). This repair information highway offers OEM search tools, best practices, technical articles, and real-time answers to collision repair questions via Ask I-CAR.
Intended to provide vehicle repair technicians with easy access to the most up-to-date repair information made available by each of its participating automakers.
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Can you provide more information on training around these paint processes?
Reach out to your local paint manufacturer who often have training and certification classes around their paint lines. For in-person training with 3M subject matter experts, learn more about our Paint Prep & Refinish Training course curriculum at our 3M™ Skills Development Center.
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What’s the benefit of the new 3M™ Performance Spray Gun 2 vs. the original 3M™ Performance Spray Gun?
Experience the same performance benefits as the 3M™ Performance Spray Gun with new, exciting features and a sleek new look.
Here are some additional key updates:
- Fluid/Fan Knob Design: Laser marked control knobs provide visual indication of spray settings
- Fluid/Fan Nut Design: One-piece integrated hook
- Gun Frame Resin Material with Carbon Fiber: New resin provides cleanability improvements
- Trigger Design: Redesigned offset trigger for sleek new look
- Laser Etch Markings: Significant usability improvement
- New Gauge: Higher quality and ranges for HVLP & FF
3M™ Performance Spray Gun 2 is compatible with all PSG accessories and H/O.
- How can my shop implement more processes and solutions to further drive efficiency?
Here are a few helpful resources to minimize waste while maximizing production in your shop.
- READ ARTICLE: Streamline your paint booth process and workflow
- DOWNLOAD INFOGRAPHIC: “Enhancing efficiency: Transform your shop’s paint booth process (PDF, 97.2 KB)”
Double down on your shop’s efficiency with the 3M™ Performance Spray Gun System and experience one of the highest transfer efficiencies for industry leading spray guns.
- What solutions do you have to spray a full range of automotive coatings?
Experience our 3M™ Performance Spray Gun System, designed to spray a full range of automotive coatings, even high-viscosity coatings. Spray solid colors, metallics, pearls, clear coats, sealers, and primers with the same premium performance you expect from your best spray gun. And every time you swap out the replaceable nozzle for a fresh one, you can expect like-new spray performance.
See our Coatings and Nozzle Size Quick Reference Guide (PDF, 105 KB).
- How can my shop better apply new, complex colors and metallics on the market?
With the 3M™ Performance Spray Gun System, you can switch nozzle sizes in seconds, making the spray gun feel like new each time. Metal spray guns can deteriorate over time, leading to faulty spray patterns or application issues, especially with complex colors. With our system, simply replace the nozzle for a like-new spray pattern every time.
Here are some additional resources to help apply complex colors and paint lines:
- READ ARTICLE: "Navigating the complex world of automotive color and paint lines”
- DOWNLOAD INFOGRAPHIC: “Making complex color and paint line application, simpler (PDF, 97.2 KB)”
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