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We just got these pads back from a customer complaining about the poor quality of the loop material that holds these onto the hook material of his backing plate. He also wasn't real happy with the cutting ability of the pads. We know understand why he was so upset: we hate to call "user error" on folks, but it does indeed happen. Mostly, though, user error comes from a lack of understanding of the process or product, and that is certainly the case when it comes to our DA Microfiber Correction System.
First, let's look at the loop material on the returned pads. It feels like very soft and fine felt, and it will not stick to the hook material on the backing plates we have here. At first glance and feel, it is super soft and extremely short in nap. This tells us that it's been broken down due to extremely heavy use, most likely extreme pressure and very high tool speed.
For reference, this is what a new pad looks like.
Side by side: returned pad on the left, new on the right.
With regard to cutting ability, this is the microfiber face of the pad the was returned (there were actually three like this). While this looks like the floor of a dry lake bed in the middle of the Mojave Desert, it is indeed a DMC6 microfiber pad. Allegedly, this pad was cleaned after every panel it was used on. Allegedly.
So what went wrong? What can we deduce just by looking at these pads? We've seen this a lot, to be honest, and it always comes down to a few things: extreme downward pressure on the pad, running the tool at too high a speed setting, and not cleaning the pads.
From day one with this system we've said the following: The cutting pad and D300 have been engineered to run at speed 4 on a G110v2, which translates to 4,800 opm. On some other popular DA buffers that OPM equivalent may be a slightly different speed, but you should never run these at full speed on the tool. The customer in this case said he was running at speed 6 because he needed the cut. Remember, speed 4 is not just a recommendation on our part, it's the specific speed we engineered this system to run at!
By running at max speed things get pretty hairy with any hook & loop attached pad. The very nature of a DA buffer movement means that the tool is always trying to throw the pad off the backing plate. In fact, this even happened in our Saturday class over the weekend when a student lifted the tool off the paint with it still running, and the pad flew off. Why? Because of the DA movement constantly changing direction. This makes for a very harsh and even violent environment, and a DA will generate heat at the pad/backing plate interface much faster than it will at the pad/paint interface. In abusive stress testing we've actually reached 310 degrees F and the darn thing was smoking!! That's also why we use a micro hook & loop system: a longer hook and loop would present more slack in the interface and heat would go up higher and faster. In this case, the customer actually blamed the problem on the lousy, short velcro being used. A simple lack of understanding on his part.
We have also recommended (insisted, actually) that the pads be blown or brushed clean after every section pass to not only fluff up the microfiber filaments but also to eliminate any paint residue picked up in the correction process and to expel any spent product. Microfiber is great at hanging on to things, and you do NOT want paint residue or spent product to start building up on the polishing face of the pad. That can and will lead to pigtails in the paint, and that's never a good thing.
So, how do you avoid these problems? Use the correct backing plate with the pads. We recommend staying with our W67DA backing plate on traditional DA buffers since it properly synchronizes the hook & loop interface with these pads. Using a longer hooked plate will lead to premature failure of the pad. Don't do it. If you're using a Rupes Bigfoot you don't have much choice, and their backing plates will hold a pad like a vice. Seriously - trying to remove a microfiber pad from a Rupes backing plate is like trying to pull teeth so you need to be extra careful that you don't quite literally pull the foam apart. But that's a whole 'nother thang. Further, do not run the tool at max speed when using microfiber pads. They are much thinner in composition than traditional foam pads, and that means they are more aggressive, that they transfer more energy from the tool to the paint, and they will generate more heat at the pad/plate interface if abused. Stay with speed setting 4 on your G110v2 and use moderate pressure to start. Yes, you can put a huge amount of pressure down on these pads and still keep them spinning, but that does NOT mean you should do that. If you need to in order to remove a severe, random defect, then that's fine. But leaning on the tool should not be your standing operating procedure. If you find you need more cut overall, then really slow down your arm speed across the paint, work a smaller area, or a combination of the two. Don't just crank 'er up and lean on it.
Avoiding caking of the pads and the potential creation of pigtails is pretty easy, actually. Clean the pad after every section. Compressed air is best, but we know not everyone has access to compressed air. A pad conditioning brush works great for this, as do those square yellow bug sponge blocks (used dry, not soaked in water). Cleaning of the pad should mean you've completely fluffed up the fibers and you can actually see product residue getting pulled from the surface and falling to the ground. If you're not doing this regularly (and it takes just a few seconds) you're selling yourself, and the system, short.
This article, published when the system was introduced, should be a must-read for anyone wanting to try the DA Microfiber Correction System. Even if you've been using a DA buffer for ten years, things are different with this system. Not hugely so, but there are some tweaks to your technique that you must make.
First, let's look at the loop material on the returned pads. It feels like very soft and fine felt, and it will not stick to the hook material on the backing plates we have here. At first glance and feel, it is super soft and extremely short in nap. This tells us that it's been broken down due to extremely heavy use, most likely extreme pressure and very high tool speed.
For reference, this is what a new pad looks like.
Side by side: returned pad on the left, new on the right.
With regard to cutting ability, this is the microfiber face of the pad the was returned (there were actually three like this). While this looks like the floor of a dry lake bed in the middle of the Mojave Desert, it is indeed a DMC6 microfiber pad. Allegedly, this pad was cleaned after every panel it was used on. Allegedly.
So what went wrong? What can we deduce just by looking at these pads? We've seen this a lot, to be honest, and it always comes down to a few things: extreme downward pressure on the pad, running the tool at too high a speed setting, and not cleaning the pads.
From day one with this system we've said the following: The cutting pad and D300 have been engineered to run at speed 4 on a G110v2, which translates to 4,800 opm. On some other popular DA buffers that OPM equivalent may be a slightly different speed, but you should never run these at full speed on the tool. The customer in this case said he was running at speed 6 because he needed the cut. Remember, speed 4 is not just a recommendation on our part, it's the specific speed we engineered this system to run at!
By running at max speed things get pretty hairy with any hook & loop attached pad. The very nature of a DA buffer movement means that the tool is always trying to throw the pad off the backing plate. In fact, this even happened in our Saturday class over the weekend when a student lifted the tool off the paint with it still running, and the pad flew off. Why? Because of the DA movement constantly changing direction. This makes for a very harsh and even violent environment, and a DA will generate heat at the pad/backing plate interface much faster than it will at the pad/paint interface. In abusive stress testing we've actually reached 310 degrees F and the darn thing was smoking!! That's also why we use a micro hook & loop system: a longer hook and loop would present more slack in the interface and heat would go up higher and faster. In this case, the customer actually blamed the problem on the lousy, short velcro being used. A simple lack of understanding on his part.
We have also recommended (insisted, actually) that the pads be blown or brushed clean after every section pass to not only fluff up the microfiber filaments but also to eliminate any paint residue picked up in the correction process and to expel any spent product. Microfiber is great at hanging on to things, and you do NOT want paint residue or spent product to start building up on the polishing face of the pad. That can and will lead to pigtails in the paint, and that's never a good thing.
So, how do you avoid these problems? Use the correct backing plate with the pads. We recommend staying with our W67DA backing plate on traditional DA buffers since it properly synchronizes the hook & loop interface with these pads. Using a longer hooked plate will lead to premature failure of the pad. Don't do it. If you're using a Rupes Bigfoot you don't have much choice, and their backing plates will hold a pad like a vice. Seriously - trying to remove a microfiber pad from a Rupes backing plate is like trying to pull teeth so you need to be extra careful that you don't quite literally pull the foam apart. But that's a whole 'nother thang. Further, do not run the tool at max speed when using microfiber pads. They are much thinner in composition than traditional foam pads, and that means they are more aggressive, that they transfer more energy from the tool to the paint, and they will generate more heat at the pad/plate interface if abused. Stay with speed setting 4 on your G110v2 and use moderate pressure to start. Yes, you can put a huge amount of pressure down on these pads and still keep them spinning, but that does NOT mean you should do that. If you need to in order to remove a severe, random defect, then that's fine. But leaning on the tool should not be your standing operating procedure. If you find you need more cut overall, then really slow down your arm speed across the paint, work a smaller area, or a combination of the two. Don't just crank 'er up and lean on it.
Avoiding caking of the pads and the potential creation of pigtails is pretty easy, actually. Clean the pad after every section. Compressed air is best, but we know not everyone has access to compressed air. A pad conditioning brush works great for this, as do those square yellow bug sponge blocks (used dry, not soaked in water). Cleaning of the pad should mean you've completely fluffed up the fibers and you can actually see product residue getting pulled from the surface and falling to the ground. If you're not doing this regularly (and it takes just a few seconds) you're selling yourself, and the system, short.
This article, published when the system was introduced, should be a must-read for anyone wanting to try the DA Microfiber Correction System. Even if you've been using a DA buffer for ten years, things are different with this system. Not hugely so, but there are some tweaks to your technique that you must make.
Did you mean "read" or "printed" ??
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