Working on speed

What are some major speed tips that you think really make your install fast while turning out good quality jobs.

yea yea. saw that one already

Do you cut both doors at once?

Yes I do. I'm not going to explain step by step how I tint and say, "what am I doing wrong". In general what is a step u do that speeds things up. I shouldn't say major tip like i did at first. Any tip at all. Like this...

If u use spray bottles, use 2 of them. Keep one at the cutting board, and one at the car so u don't have to walk back and fourth to get it.

double cut the side's and prepare them to be shrunk
get the back window ready to be shrunk
shrink side first to get gun warmed up
shrink back glass
clean and install back glass
clean and install side and dont waste time popin panel's
smoke a cig wipe her down give it a once over and send it on it's way

hour top's

You da man tintmanlibby!!! You da Man!! Like your style! I bet someone will say something about a plotter!!!! Hecks no!!! You have to wait forever for it to cut the patterns....then you have to hand cut through the second layer....BS if you ask me! Hand cut all the time! Way faster than a plotter! Cheaper than a plotter! Better than a plotter! I am saying this about tint....not ppf....cause I have never done ppf.

I was in the 24th ID, 3rd ID, and the CAV! Nice to see a fellow grunt on here! Follow me!

sounds easy enough. I'll give it a go.
Thanks for the reply, I take back most of all the bad stuff i've ever said about you.



I don't have a clue what this means

Infantry and Cavalry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

50 mins on a g8 and I got the driver side done, rear glass soaped, and the pass side precut. I thought I was working pretty damn hard.

you got it...I love that picture

me 2 ....very appropriate IMO

.......& your an old timer

says "your doing all wrong then" goes back to show you that we all dont know everything!
you should say for me since i dont know how to weed out patterns quickly im SLOWER w/ a plotter than actualy cutting it by hand1

plotter's slow me down

my plotter is for show not go

i gotcha understandable...

yea but your plotter is a huge money maker for you ! the art you do is awsome

I used to think the same thing about plotters, but after using one, I am way faster. I do contract work at a nissan dealership and they have a plotter there from the previous in house tinter. After learning how to use it, I cut my time on an altima from just shy of an hour, to about 35 min. What's this about cutting through the second layer?? I also use the plotter for PPF.

I would challenge anyone to a pattern cut for the entire car by hand. I always thought I was faster than a plotter...NOPE!! I can cut an entire pattern with different shades using a plotter in about 2-3 minutes. After the bg is shaped, you don't have to use a light to trim the film!! Just pull the liner, and it's already cut.

when you guys use plotters - does it allow enough on the b/g for shrinkage - for instance a clio b/g, you have to ad at least 3" on the top don't you?

I use a plotter when a truck comes in with a topper on it and they want the b/g done or a car with vent shades on it that i don't want to take off! I prefer handcutting because i'm an edge freak and even though precision cut from Llumar has nice patterns i'm a creature of habit unwilling to change on this issue. Base your speed on the quality of your own exceptance not based on what time frame someone else does!! It takes me by myself an hour and 1/2 and sometimes more depending on the car i'm tinting , but most importantly i'm satisfied with that because i base my speed on what it takes me to do what i consider a quality job!

Of course it does. The plotter etches the film to fit on the bg. You still have excess around the cut. After you shape it, you simply pull the excess off, and it leaves the area of film that was etched, already cut to size. You just put it on.

Just tint like this guy. He didn't even roll the window down!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hij6IM7Ex5M

Ohh god. not that guy agian.

Ohh just an update. I got my time down to less than 2 hours. If anyone cares.

Im sure he never gets anyone coming back......what a disgrace!

He did crack the window for the edge. In like the first 2 seconds of the video.

ha - see the guy with the buttie order spoil his video by walking in front of the camera

He rolled it down to clean but rolled it back up to cut the pattern and install.

chainsaw masacre

aaaaaaamen to that i have been sayin that since they came ot with those plotters

ditto

You guys MUST be doing something differently than me, when it comes to the plotter. I have been hand cutting for........ bout 18 yrs. Just got my plotter bout 3 months ago, for ppf, but using it for film as well. I can tell you, even from my limited experience, it is faster!!!
It's not a night and day diff. but it shaves bout 8-10 min per car. In the busy season....... you do the math.

The next thing I want to do is figure out the graphics aspect. Do you need an additional program for it?? any advice would be appreciated.

Flexi, Illustrator is all you need

Not meaning to sound like an ass, but for those who criticize plotters probably have never used one. I'll admit they are better for dealership work, but even if you only did 3-4 cars a day, a plotter WILL save you some cut time. I'll put money on it.

PLOTTERS CUT FASTER THAN A HUMAN CAN!!!!

Not for me . Unless I'm doing more than one of the same car in the same film than it's faster ,but when you have to load ,unload different films and patterns it's faster for me just to double cut . And NO program cuts as clean a pattern as I do ...

Thanks!

I understand you have to load different shades in the plotter when using different shades, but that takes 15 seconds. My plotter cuts clean, some patterns are not like I like them, but I can go in and change them for the next time. Loading a different pattern takes 5 seconds...now maybe my program is more user friendly....i dont know. But lets remeber slayer, my back window is already cut when I shape it. How many minutes alone will that save when you dont have to hold a light cut, move the light, cut...and so on.

Have you used a plotter?

Maybe I should make a video timing the plotter, then others can do the same cutting by hand. Whaddya think??

Also, I still cut by hand often. I have the plotter set up at a dealership, but at my shop I hand cut. For me, it makes more sense keeping it at the dealership that tint for.

this is an old argument and no one's gonna win. you do it your way and everyone else will do it their way. speed comes with practice and figuring out what way works best for you.

Yes ,i have graphtec 7000 with tint/tec and have used other programs as well and have just not found one that cuts a good clean top edge. I'm also not that good with a puter witch probably slow's me a lil also.As far as the vid ,personaly I would'nt waste my time ,and if I were doing a good number of cars from one dealer I too would be using the plotter more...Blade is right ,it is what ever we do that gets the job done right the first time....

Hmmm. The only car that I have had a problem with the top edge is the 09 Maxima. I will give you this. I do use the plotter for mostly Nissans. Im not great with computers either, and I have only used one program, but it is so easy to use. I suppose we will have to agree to disagree, like Blade says.

Thanks Blade

What program are you using ?

Its called FirstCut. I think its exclusively through our disrtibutor b/c they go out and do the patterns.


enprodistributing.com

Heres a tip for those who reverse roll, as I do. Put all Your tools, paper towels , sprayer bottle in the back seat. Peel n Roll film. Take it into car with You, and THEN clean the back window and install film. One time getting in the back seat, one time getting out.

usually if I let the film sit too long wet before applying its too tacky and sticks to the window in spots causing it to crease.

When Your spraying the film, hose down the liner too....it shouldn't take more than a minute or two to properly clean your back window....thats not enough time for the adhesive to tack up.

the other day i tried to taco fold and just the time from peeling and spraying, to folding and putting it inside it was already taking to itself pretty good when i went to unfold it. I had to scrap that piece because it touched the seat when I was fighting to unfold it, and I was worried if I did get it unfolded about having glue smearing

Uh....My speed tip was for a reverse roll...not a "taco Fold"...no wonder ... Your putting adhesive to adhesive and wondering why its tacking up? Liner has no adhesive, thats why You can transfer it to the car before You clean Your back window without it tacking.. Your telling Me My tip doesnt work for You , and Your not even using it? WTF?

"double cut the side's and prepare them to be shrunk
get the back window ready to be shrunk
shrink side first to get gun warmed up
shrink back glass
clean and install back glass
clean and install side and dont waste time popin panel's
smoke a cig wipe her down give it a once over and send it on it's way"

This is how I do mine. Except I clean and install doors then clean and install back glass. I quadruple cut the doors if I have two of the same car to do. Also I don't use a peel board. That probably saves time.

I didn't refer directly to your tip. I was just saying in general if I let the film sit for too long it starts to take up. Even with R/R if I let it sit more than a couple minutes rolled up when I unroll it its already tacking up and does the same thing. Same with side windows Once its been squeegeed down once you can't move it at all since it tacks up really fast. I guess SlipEase does that to ya