- Overview
- Products
- Cleaners and Removers
- Plastic, Composite, Fiberglass Repair
- Tools & Accessories
- Seam Sealers
- Coatings
- Automotive Abrasives
- Body Filler, Glaze & Hardeners
- Buffing Pads
- Compounds, Polishes, Glazes
- Paint Spray Equipment
- Automotive Tapes & Adhesives
- Fillers
- Paint & Masking Products
- View All
- Solutions
- Resources
- Support
SMART collision repair
-
SMART Collision Repair
SMART repair is a combination of cost effective techniques that can be utilised when the area to be repaired can be contained within the area of an A4 sheet of paper.
- Always select appropriate Personal Protective Equipment - Eyewear, gloves, hearing and respiratory protection for your job and workplace!
-
Step 1 - Damage Assessment and Surface Cleaning
- Wash and pre-clean the entire panel using 3M™ Professional Panel Wipes 34567 and a suitable cleaner.
- Compound the entire panel using 3M™ Perfect-it III™ Fast Cut Plus Compound 50417 - and 3M™ Perfect-it III™ Extra Fine Compound 80349 if it is a dark colour - to get the panel back to a freshly painted appearance.
Assess the position, size of damage and colour for suitability to SMART repair (THINK SMALL).
This step is key to achieve adhesion of the paint particularly in the blending zone. Any weathering traces need to be fully removed
-
Step 2 - Surface Preparation
- Sand out the defect using a 3M™ Hookit™ Cubitron II Abrasive 75mm Disc - 150+ / 220+. Always start with the finest grade possible. N.B. The use of 75 mm discs helps to minimise the size of the repair area.
If a dent damage needs to be filled, apply a suitable filler, apply 3M Dry Guide Coat and sand with 3M™ Hookit™ Cubitron II Abrasive 75mm Disc - 220+. - Sand around the repair area using a 3M™ Hookit™ Purple P400 - 75 mm
- Enlarge the area further using a 3M™ Trizact™ 75mm, P3000 Fine Finishing Disc
Remember to think small, the whole sanded area should be no bigger than a A4 Sheet!
- Sand out the defect using a 3M™ Hookit™ Cubitron II Abrasive 75mm Disc - 150+ / 220+. Always start with the finest grade possible. N.B. The use of 75 mm discs helps to minimise the size of the repair area.
-
Step 3 - Masking
Depending on location of the damage, several masking techniques and product are available.
Make sure you cover the surrounding area to protect from overspray, but leave the repair area large enough to avoid creating sharp paint lines, which you would need to eliminate later. A great product to help you to achieve smooth transitions at the outer area is 3M's Smooth Transition Tape.
-
Step 4 - Primer Application
Apply the primer following the paint company recommendations.
The ideal product to be used is 3M Accuspray™v with Mini PPS™, allowing you efficient product use with minimum waste. Overspray must be kept to a minimum to keep the repair area as small as possible.
-
Step 5 - Primer Sanding
Sand the primer using 3M™ Hookit™ Purple P400 / P500 75 mm Abrasive Disc.
-
Step 6 - Paint Application
Apply the paint following paint company recommendations. Process efficient paint application will be done using 3M Paint Application Systems, depending on the size of the repair, either the 3M Midi or Mini PPS™ System are recommended to be used to maximise paint usage and reduce waste.
Tipp: VOC compliance means that the state-of-the-art compliant Spot Blenders are now aerosols that get applied after clear coat before baking. It means that the blending process needs to be adapted to fit with compliant products. Please refer to your paint manufacturers recommendations.
-
Step 7 - Paint Rectification and Finish
Ideally, the repaired small area should not be polished as the usually required Spot Blender aerosol is applied in a very thin layer, which doesn't resist any polishing. If it is unavoidable, use 3M™ Perfect-it™ Extra Fine Plus Compound with the convoluted colour coded yellow pad. Set the machine to the lowest possible RPM setting and work very carefully.
- Repairing and painting minor damages is part of day-today business. This makes an optimised system for performing these repairs all the more important. With plastic repair materials, 3M™ Cubitron™ II abrasives and paint finishing products, 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division deliver an entire palette of coordinated components for a unique process for the first time in a single package. And they can all be used with one and the same Festool machine. This degree of efficiency is new and a milestone when it comes to simplified working with uncompromising quality.
