Whether your bumper is cracked at an edge or punctured right through, 3M can offer you the right method to repair, instead of having to replace the part. Repairing means there is no waiting time and no need for costly purchase of replacement parts - instead you can invoice for valuable work time, saving money for you and the customer.
Using 3Ms plastic panel repair process, you can save time and money.
Repairing plastic parts such as bumpers offers you clear advantages versus replacing them:
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Discover our range of bumper and plastic repair products to help achieve high quality, efficient repairs in your bodyshop.
Step-by-step process guide for repairing the edge of a plastic bumper
Clean the damaged area with a soft cloth (i.e. 3M™ Professional Panel Wipe and a suitable degreaser).
Drill a hole of 4-6 mm in diameter at the base of the crack in order to release stress and prevent further extension of the crack.
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Increase the bonding surface by opening out the crack using a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Roloc™ Fibre Disc 80+. For a crack reaching the edge of the bumper panel, open the end to make a ’V’ shape and remove plastic residue with a sharp knife.
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Prepare the area around the crack using a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Clean Sanding Abrasive Disc 737U 180+ to avoid overheating and melting the plastic. Assure you prep the front and back side of the panel.
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Clean the area inside and outside using 3M™ VHB™ Surface Cleaner or 3M™ General purpose Adhesive Cleaner applied with a 3M™ Professional Panel Wipe.
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Spray 3M™ Polyolefin Adhesion Promoter on the front and back of the bumper around the cracked area. Allow 10 minutes to dry. (20 mins for the TF - Toluene Free version.)
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Using 3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges, apply 3M™ Flexible Parts Repair Material 05901 onto the backside of the crack and tool out. For additional strength, it's recommended that you use it with 3M™ Crack Seal Tape. Place the tape onto the crack and apply the FPRM onto the tape and work it in.
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3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges
Using 3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges, apply 3M™ Flexible Parts Repair Material also onto the frontside of the crack and spread out. Allow to dry for 20 mins.
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Using a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Clean Sanding Abrasive Disc 737U 180+, sand the area to shape, ready for either an application of plastic filler or prepare directly for primer application.
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To finish the plastic bumper repair and prepare for the primer, the use of a plastic filler product is recommended. Use either 3M™ Flexible Plastic Filler for plastic-like performance and excellent sanding and feather-edging, or use 3M™ Plastic Filler.
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Step-by-step process guide for repairing and rebuilding a plastic tab
Apply 3M™ VHB™ Surface Cleaner or 3M™ General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner using 3M™ Professional Panel Wipe to clean the area. Allow to dry completely.
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Use 3M™ Cubitron™ II Roloc™ Fibre Disc 80+ to smooth rough edges of broken tab.
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Drill several holes of 3-6 mm in diameter in the remaining part of the tab to increase the strength of the repair.
Coat tab area in 3M™ Polyolefin Adhesion Promoter and leave to dry for 10 minutes.
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Cut a piece of 3M™ Plastic Contour Sheet about 2.5 times the size of the tab to be repaired.
Apply 3M™ Superfast Plastic Adhesive transparent or black using 3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges and use the contour sheet as support.
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Immediately fold the sheet and shape adhesive with fingers. Force adhesive into the drilled holes. Do not press too hard to keep a 3 to 5 mm layer of adhesive material on both side of the tab.
Caution: when starting to cure, adhesive becomes hot! The adhesive will set within 20-30 secs.
Let the adhesive cool down and peel off contour sheet.
After 5 minutes shape tab using 3M™ Cubitron™ II Roloc™ Fibre Disc 80+ / 180+ and create a new fixing point to restore original appearance.
If necessary, 3M™ Superfast Plastic Adhesive can be painted using the usual paint process for plastic parts or specific bumper paint in spray.
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Step-by-step process guide for repairing a hole in the centre of a plastic panel/bumper
Clean the surface area using 3M™ Professional Panel Wipe and degrease in accordance with paint company recommendations.
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Prepare the area around the hole using a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Clean Sanding Abrasive Disc 180+ to avoid overheating and melting the plastic. Assure you prep front and back side.
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Remove excess dust and clean the repair area (back and front) using 3M™ Professional Panel Wipe and surface cleaner.
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Spray 3M™ Polyolefin Adhesion Promoter on the front side of the bumper around the cracked area. Allow 10 minutes to dry. (20 mins for the TF - Toluene Free version.)
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To achieve maximum adhesion, use 3M™ Patch Adhesion Promoter (available with the 3M™ Instant Plastic Repair Patch) to the back side of the repair. Allow 5 minutes to dry.
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Apply 3M™ Instant Plastic Repair Patch (cut to size) to rear side of the damage and place firmly over the entire hole on the back side of the bumper.
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Using a 3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges apply 3M™ Flexible Parts Repair Material or 3M™ EZ Sand Flexible Parts Repair to the front side of the cracked area. Spread material evenly and let dry for 20 mins.
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3M™ Manual Gun for 2 Part Cartridges
Using a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Clean Sanding Abrasive Disc 180+, sand the area to shape, ready for either an application of plastic filler or prepare directly for primer application.
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To finish the repair and prepare for the primer, the use of a Plastic Filler Product is recommended.
Use either 3M™ Flexible Plastic Filler for plastic-like performance and excellent sanding and feather-edging, or use 3M™ Plastic Filler.
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Here are some valuable insights into specific plastic bumper and parts repair challenges, including quick tips on preventing common issues such as bubbling and insufficient adhesion. For more in-depth information, click the link below to see each tip.
Customer Challenge:
What is the best way to ensure that a plastic bumper tab, which was rebuilt with 3M™ Super Fast Repair Adhesive, will reliably adhere to a bumper surface?
Technical Tip:
Proper surface preparation will lead to the best results: Grinding the surface with a 3M™ Cubitron™ II Roloc™ Fibre Disc 80+ until a “fuzzy” surface is achieved, follwed by drilling several 3-6 mm holes at the base of the new tab near the edge of the bumper. This is commonly known as “pinning”. It will allow the adhesive to flow through the bumper and bond with itself for added strength – almost like creating a liquid rivet or bolt securing the replacement tab to the bumper. Also, always use an adhesion promoter such as 3M™ Polyolefin Adhesion Promoter, PN 05917 before adhesive application.
Customer Challenge:
My shop has recently had several callbacks related to bubbling in plastic bumper repairs. We repaired all bumpers using 3M™ Fast Adhesive Black PN34240. What could be causing this bubbling?
Technical Tip:
Maintaining clean surface areas is always important in collision repair; thoroughly clean the repair before any sanding steps. After sanding, only use clean, dry compressed air to clean the repair area. Solvents can be absorbed into the plastic and release over time, causing bubbles in the repair area. Additionally, the application of polyester based body fillers over some plastic repair materials can lead to bubbling. Follw 3M's standard operating procedures and use 3M™ EZ Sand Flexible Parts Repair Material as epoxy based filler for the fine surface rebuild.
Customer Challenge:
Our shop has attempted to repair bumpers on several occasions, but we are experiencing problems. Either the repair is visible after the paint cycle or the bumper re-cracks during installation. What could we be doing wrong?
Technical Tip:
A good repair starts with a good foundation, and surface prep is your foundation. It’s very important when repairing a deep gouge or a tear that goes all the way through the plastic to make a wide, gradual taper. A proper taper on the cosmetic side of a bumper should be deep enough to expose about 0.5 - 0.7 cm wide strip of the patch on the back side of the part. Changes in temperature will cause the adhesive to expand and contract and pull away from the sharp edge of a “V” groove causing a ghosting line to appear. With a gradual taper there is no sharp edge where the plastic will separate from the adhesive.
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