PPM Industries Blog Auto collision repair and refinishing: smart repair equipment

When dealing with small repairs, the key elements to improve efficiency lie in the choice of the proper equipment to reduce time and energy consumption. First, we have to consider the use of spray booth: is it really necessary to involve all the vehicle in drying cycles? Is there any solution to dry only the surface that needs repair? Then, we can think about masking tape and films: do you really need to wrap and tape the entire body to paint over a single scratch?Introducing mobile spray boothsThe answers to these questions come from an innovative solution: mobile spray booth, a flexible tool that can be used to perform drying cycles only on the damaged surfaces of the vehicle. A mobile booth is provided with wheels and can move easily across the body shop, facilitating most of the logistic problems of the auto repair activity. Thanks to its structure and with the aid of protective film, the booth operation can be focused just on the area to be painted, letting you save energy, time and limit the use of masking paper and tape on the rest of the vehicle.Let's see in some more details how to use mobile spray booth:Place the mobile booth close enough to the surface to dry, and plug it into the body shop connections; set the desired parameters for the drying cycle you have to perform.Seal the booth around the damaged area with the aid of protection film and tape; cut the masking film so to fit it to the surface to be treated, creating a hermetic environment through which paint overspray cannot filter.Enter the booth and switch it on: you can now start working with spray paint. The air recycling system keeps the booth clean from dust and dirt.If you have to reduce drying times, the best booths also feature a short wave infrared system to speed up the process. When you have finished, just switch off the booth and remember to clean it before the next application.Equipos Lagos produces a premium model of mobile spray booth: PaintTROTTER, a product that will increase the efficiency of your body shop and let you save time and money when performing small repairs. Some suggestions about masking tapeThe right masking tape is as much important as the proper booth to increase the efficiency of the job. First of all, remember to choose a tape that can withstand the temperature required for drying the paint. Talking about tape removal, it's important to employ a product that doesn't leave residue when gotten off the vehicle. Finally, choose a tape that resists all the common types of paint and can be applied on different surfaces: you might have to mask off rubber, glass, plastic besides metal.In small repairs, you often need to protect thin and irregular surfaces from paint overspray: in this case, you can use a fine line masking tape such as JWT Auto, a narrow and conformable tape that is perfect for this kind of applications. In case you need more options about automotive masking tapes,take a look at all the range of tapes by PPM Industries!