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HEXIS Pink Glitter Gloss
 by Tim Evans

Check out the new HEXIS Skintac Series films

 

HEXIS SKINTAC SERIES – HX20000 & HX30000:  Cast color-change multilayered PVC vinyl with HEX’Press air-release vinyl.  Over 150 colors!

 

SKINTAC HX30000:  PREMIUM COLORS, TEXTURES, and CHROMES.

Photo & wrap by Yiannimize, using HEXIS HX30SCH09B Turquoise Chrome Gloss

Photo & wrap by Yiannimize, using HEXIS HX30SCH09B Turquoise Chrome Gloss

 

The SKINTAC HX30000 range is designed to customize vehicles or objects. It consists of a multilayered cast vinyl film and a release liner with structured HEX’Press adhesive for easier application.  Gloss, matte, super matt, textures, and chromes!

 

SKINTAC HX20000:  STANDARD COLORS, METALLICS, and GLITTERS.

Photo & Wrap by Unknown, using HX20RINB Indian Pink Glitter Gloss

Photo & Wrap by Unknown, using HX20RINB Indian Pink Glitter Gloss

              

The HX20000 consists of a multilayered cast PVC film and a release liner with structured HEX’Press adhesive. The product is specially designed for full wraps. Thanks to its thickness it preserves its colour even under strong deformation. It is convenient and effortless to apply and remove. The HX20000 makes application easy thanks to its structured adhesive that facilitates air-egress.  Gloss, matte, satin, glitters, and metallics!

  

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HEXIS Website: https://www.hexis-graphics.com/

HEXIS Distributor Locator: https://www.hexis-graphics.com/en/distribution/

 

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 by Tim Evans

The Dunning-Kruger Effect… OR why bad wrappers think they are good.

Of course the same headline could apply to a designer, your staff salesperson or your shop’s competition accross town. We all have experienced this completely sureal situation which is both plainly obvious to us but, for some bizarre reason, is completely unseen from the indidviual who is convinced they have everything on lock.

Frank is a wrapper at a standard graphics company. One of the great, local small businesses that serve their community every day. Frank, at best, is an average performer; his wraps are constantly riddled with wrinkles, popped air pockets and poor registrations. Frank’s trim work is crooked with a dash of wavy edges, overstretched surfaces, inconsistent seams, corners are a mess and mismatched overlaps… so, not so good.

Frank’s wrapping skills; unfortunately, are not his worse attribute. His manager his constantly annoyed and frustrated by the fact the Frank is absolutely convinved that he is a great wrapper. He has even gone so far as to argue that he is one of the best wrappers in the city if not the country. In Frank’s mind all other’s efforts pale in comparison to his skills and competence.

We have all, at some time in our life, been exposed to someone who’s performance is just plain awful but they are somehow convinced they are putting out stellar results. Most likely what you have seen in action is the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

In an excerpt from a Forbes article, the Dunning-Kruger Effect was “Coined in 1999 by then-Cornell psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, the eponymous Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias whereby people who are incompetent at something are unable to recognize their own incompetence. And not only do they fail to recognize their incompetence, they’re also likely to feel confident that they actually are competent.”

From our point of view, Franks’s wrapping skills need a lot of improvement. If Frank saw his deficiencies, he would be able to fix them, he wouldn’t fight constructive criticism of his wrapping, and, frankly, he wouldn’t be so frustrating to deal with.

Unfortunately, according to the Forbes article “we know from the more than 10,000 people who’ve taken the online quiz “How Do You React To Constructive Criticism?” that only 39% of employees handle constructive criticism by systematically dissecting every step leading up to the thing they just got criticized for. They don’t freak out or fight the feedback, instead, they want to understand and correct the underlying issues. Now, it’s not guaranteed that the other 61% are ensconced in Dunning-Kruger, but it’s worth being concerned that they may receive feedback similarly to Frank.

The irony of the Dunning-Kruger Effect is that, Professor Dunning notes, “the knowledge and intelligence that are required to be good at a task are often the same qualities needed to recognize that one is not good at that task—and if one lacks such knowledge and intelligence, one remains ignorant that one is not good at that task.”

The 1999 paper that launched the Dunning-Kruger Effect was called “Unskilled and unaware of it: how difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.” Across 4 studies, Professor Dunning and his team administered tests of humor, grammar, and logic. And they found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. For example, in one of the studies, Cornell undergrads took a 20-item grammar test. After completing the test, the students estimated how their ability to “identify grammatically correct standard English” compared with others. And as you might expect, the lowest scoring students grossly overestimated their abilities. Those who scored at the 10th percentile (i.e. they scored higher than only 10% of others) rated their grammar abilities at the 67th percentile. In essence, their actual grammar ability was really poor, but they thought they were in the top third of people.

And it’s not just college kids; you can find examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect everywhere. One study of high-tech firms discovered that 32-42% of software engineers rated their skills as being in the top 5% of their companies. A nationwide survey found that 21% of Americans believe that it’s ‘very likely’ or ‘fairly likely’ that they’ll become millionaires within the next 10 years. Drivers consistently rate themselves above average. Medical technicians overestimate their knowledge in real-world lab procedures. In a classic study of faculty at the University of Nebraska, 68% rated themselves in the top 25% for teaching ability, and more than 90% rated themselves above average (which I’m sure you’ll notice is mathematically impossible).”

So, what do you do when faced with a “Frank”?

If the offender is another shop then you just have to shrug and walk away. Nothing you say would be accepted and any disruption of the mental bubble will immediately be construed as an “attack” by all the “haters”… literally a zero win scenario.

If “Frank” is in your own organization then you are going to have to start carefully exploring your options depending on your own willingness to work with the individual. Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope and you can get them enagaged in some fun in-shop competitions, do some personal one-on-one technique training or have them regularly sit down and watch some of Justin Pate / The Wrap Institute videos.

Of course there is also the final path and you can walk Frank to the door. Good shops have to be good teams and an unchanging attitude like Frank’s is a guaranteed way to failure.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” – Albert Einstein

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 by Tim Evans

TWI Live with Alltak Tuning in Fortaleza Brazil

It was a party. It was a hands on demonstration. It was a collection of wrappers, with spouses and children all enjoying their love of being together… it was a TWI Live.

According to Justin Pate, founder of The Wrap Institute, the event was described this way… “TWI Live in Fortaleza in partnership with Alltak Tuning was simply a super fun wrap party this year. The concept behind every TWI Live event is to celebrate both the world of wraps and local installers and distributors. For the official wrap demos I worked with Dimas Brazil (TWI Trainer), Thiago (Alltak) and Luiz “alemão” (Luukfilm) who are considered the top installers and instructors in Brazil. The crowd was a mix of great Brazilian installers, family, distributors and other people who are involved in the wrap world. This mix, along with great burgers, drinks and a super tight live rock band made for a festive atmosphere to say the least. At the beginning of the event I had the idea to wrap the back window and let people sign it to tag the event. To see all those signatures at the end of the day was extra special. I can’t wait to do it again next year and big thanks to everyone from Alltak for making it happen and to Wrapper Mapper for taking such great pics as always.”

Huge thanks to the Alltak Tuning team and The Wrap Institute for having us out! It is always such a pleasure watching the wrap industry progress and come together around the world.

Keep your eyes open for the next TWI Live… maybe coming to a city near you… Until next enjoy this great re-cap video.

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 by Tim Evans

WrapperMapper adds the new ORAFOL Vehicle Wrap Certification system & wrappers!

The ORAFOL Vehicle Wrap Certification Course is a comprehensive two-day course. We know the installer’s time is extremely valuable, so ORAFOL has developed a more effective and efficient opportunity to be respectful of not only their time, but the investment being made in continuing their education and professional accolades.  

We realize that many installers aren’t simply “installers”, but someone who also wears the proverbial hats of – customer service, human resources, sales and marketing, project manager, production manager, designer, etc.

When an installer arrives to our course, they’ll begin by taking a deep dive into gleaning more product knowledge, and gaining a better grasp on the product specification and how they can guide their customer or team through this process and achieve the best possible outcome. They’ll follow this session up with business insights designed to help them communicate better, and be more attuned to selling and marketing strategies. This always ends up being a very collaborative time, where everyone shares experiences and the discussions get pretty deep. On the flipside to this, installers that come in and think they’re only “installers”, now feel more confident and are better armed to be that bridge between the client and the wrap shop’s sales team. How often are installers out on a job site, and get approached by the client? Typically, there’s an opportunity for that installer to upsell or cross-promote a service his or her company may offer. Wrap shops should empower their installers to develop their business aptitude to feel more confident out in the field.

Once we wrap up the classroom portion (pun intended), we head into the hands on portion of the course. We keep these classes pretty small, so each installer gets more one-on-one time with our head trainer to help fine-tune their already expert skills. There’s always an opportunity to learn something new, or a new technique, so it’s important to come to this course with an open mind. This also ends up being a very collaborative time amongst all the installers. Everyone that goes through the course wants one-another to succeed, and it’s truly impressive watching these installers connect and share tips and tricks with one-another.

Day two is totally dedicated to the hands on certification exam. We run the installer through a variety of application scenarios, where they’re judged on efficiency, finishing, and final outcome. The installer will be working through solid color change material applications along with commercial printed and laminated graphics. Once they pass this piece, they’ll soon receive their at-home training modules and written exam to finalize their ORAFOL Vehicle Wrap Certification Course experience.

Benefits of becoming an ORAFOL Certified Vehicle Wrap Installer:

  • Receive business referrals from ORAFOL via website and program listings
  • Receive business referrals from ORAFOL Certified Installer Network
  • Become highly proficient and knowledgeable in the application of ORAFOL Wrap Products
  • Possible Brand Ambassador at future ORAFOL events
  • Possible feature on ORAFOL Installer showcase webpages
  • Improve customer confidence with ORAFOL certification
  • Interact and network with the industry’s top vehicle wrap installers

Sign-Up Here to Register for Classes and Certification Testing. http://info.orafol.com/vehicle-wrap-certification-registration

Certified ORAFOL Trainer Bios:

Marcos Pereira – Wrap Specialties

Woodbridge, NJ

Wrap Specialties on Instagram

Marcos brings a new excitement to the ORAFOL professional training classes in 2019.  Working daily within his own company, on commercial, and custom projects, Marcos applies a very real world approach to training, not only sharing what you need to know about installations, but what customers are looking for in your shop, and the services you offer.

Marcos brings over a decade of wrap, and vinyl application experience, and nearly every manufacturer certification that exists.

Additionally a founding member and current board member, of Paint is Dead, an active member of Masters of Branding, and now a partner in ORAFOL’s professional training classes, Marcos is excited to bring his experience to wrap training classes across the Americas.

Knowledge, experience, and a practical approach to learning, all wrapped up in a class built for the most qualified installers in the industry!

Dan Bulat – Element Graphics & Designs Inc.

Mokena, IL

Element Graphics & Designs on Instagram

Dan Bulat started in the Graphic business 27 years ago as a one-man business.  After graduating from college with a BA in Graphic Design and Business, he decided to turn his two passions into a business, combining Graphic Design and Vehicles.  From the very beginning, the majority of work coming in was for signs and banners.  However, that did not stop Dan from continuing to pursue the vehicle market.  He tirelessly taught himself to install lettering and graphics on vehicles.  Working toward his main goal of opening his own shop, Dan moved his business out of his house, purchased a brand-new building and continued building what has now become Element Graphics and Design, Inc., a very successful Graphic shop, specializing in Fleet vehicles.  Dan and his staff of installers hold several industry certifications.

In 2015 Dan started a wrap tool company called Magstrapz.  He is the creator of the Magstrapz, Magbandz and MagGripz wrapping tools.  Dan saw a need for these products in his own shop and felt that the industry would benefit from them as well.  Today Magstrapz brand are being sold to wrappers worldwide.

Dan’s passion for the industry brought him to become involved with ORAFOL and all aspects related to growing and educating the wrapping industry.

Krystal Miszewski – Candy Wraps

Maitland, FL

Candy Wraps on Instagram

Krystal Miszewski is a professional vinyl graphics installer who has partnered with ORAFOL to bring her techniques directly to those passionate about installing. After spending nearly a decade as a freelance installer in over 150 shops across the world, Krystal recognizes the vital connection between shops and installers requiring clear communication, understanding and an overall passion for what we do in this industry.

She recently represented the United States with several other well-known vehicle wrap installers in the Nations Wrap Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany where they finished in 2nd place out of 16 teams!

Krystal has been featured in print and broadcast outlets, as well as several industry certifications. As owner of Candy Wraps, she takes commercial installs to the next level using industry leading techniques for time efficiency and longevity of product.

Wade Davis – Image Graphics

Pompano Beach, FL

Image Graphics on Instagram

Owner/Founder of Image Graphics a company started in the early 90’s primarily offering installations throughout the Graphics industry. Member of the formally (PDAA) and Vice President prior to its conversion to the now SGIA installers Group. VIP Master certified through the SGIA. One of the first Companies to be 3M certified and Member of the USAG since 1997. Orafol Certified and instructor for the Professional Wrap Acadamy since 2003. Experienced in over 100,000 installations over a 30 year career First ever bus wrap 1992. First ever vehicle wrap 1992. First ever train wrap 1995. First ever plane wrap 1997. First ever Boat wrap 2003.

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 by Tim Evans

3M Collaborates with Wrapmate to Provide Print-Ready Customers to Graphic Professionals

Exclusive collaboration simplifies customer throughput and builds awareness of brand impact

ST PAUL, Minn. – September 10, 2019 – Business owners today are faced with a wide variety of challenges to stand out from the competition, including the growing emphasis on creating a recognizable and impactful visual identity. To support customers in achieving their vision, graphic professionals spend precious time creating vehicle wrap design mockups to help determine the look and feel that will best tell the brand story. This can be a time-consuming process that also runs the risk of creating design mockups that don’t always come to fruition.

3M is excited to announce a strategic collaboration with Wrapmate to help businesses improve their brand’s visibility through high quality vehicle graphics and ultimately help graphic professionals find more customers.

Wrapmate is an online platform where business owners can visualize their brand on a vehicle by simply using their business’s website address. Wrapmate uses the URL to scan the website for branded visuals such as logos and imagery and within seconds, a vehicle wrap design is created. This service helps business owners understand what a vehicle wrap would look like in a 3D environment and builds excitement by offering tools for the user to better understand the impact that vehicle graphics have on the awareness of their business.

“Our innovative technology combined with 3M’s innovative film products allow for a great dynamic between our two businesses,” said Chris Loar, Founder & CEO of Wrapmate. “3M is the perfect fit for a strategic collaboration. We couldn’t be more excited about working together to grow the graphics industry.”

Business owners can also take the next step of bringing the visual to life by working with Wrapmate, who will interface directly with experienced graphic professionals within the 3M network to complete the job. 3M™ Certified Graphics Installation Companies and 3M™ Preferred Graphics Installers within the Wrapmate Pro network can execute these print-ready jobs and get the opportunity to work with new customers to further build their brands.

“The collaboration between 3M and Wrapmate opens the door to new business opportunities for graphic professionals and saves them time so they can focus on creating impactful transformations,” said Troy Kilfoyl of 3M Commercial Solutions Division. “By joining forces with Wrapmate, we are hoping to provide a creative solution to make the vehicle wrap design process easier for graphic professionals and more engaging for businesses everywhere.” Graphic manufacturers can now spend more time focusing on doing great work and less time worrying about customer acquisition.

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 by Tim Evans

WrapStock PR – A free, online, wrap visualizer takes off!

Design first! Wrapstock® is starting up a revolutionary project for the automotive wrap industry.

Owners of passenger vehicles, companies or enthusiasts who like to check out beautiful cars – pay attention! The new platform Wrapstock® is born. With Wrapstock® designers from around the world can engage in providing hundreds of original wrap designs. We make it possible for the creation of simple stripe looks to more complex and textural wrap designs in a centralized, web-based place where you can select a design for your car.
Project creator, Martin Tureček (co-founder of the worldwide network of WrapStyle franchises) explains… “We have built this virtual warehouse of design wraps around real-life and long-term experiences of our wrapping companies. The goal is to make the design process a simple, fast and affordable variant for anyone wanting to quickly change the appearance of his or her vehicle. We have made the design system and designs as variable and applicable as possible for nearly every vehicle model”
You can select a new design without limits after registering for free. And what if one of them really excites you and you simply have to have it? “Just download it and have it printed on wrapping foil/film and wrap a vehicle. As the general partner of the project, we, therefore, selected the best of the best, Avery Dennison,” Martin revealed.
For more demanding clients who have not found the right design from the catalog, we offer the option of creating a completely custom-made design. “We also invite designers around the world to the platform who can offer their designs here. The aim is for Wrapstock® to thrive and so that there would be something new here every time. Our ambition is to create a worldwide community of trend setters,” explained Martin.
And another innovation confirming their work in this is being prepared for the near future – a virtual showroom. As the name implies, thanks to the possibilities of virtual reality, you can confirm with your own eyes if a particular wrap will really fit your car. Everything new begins with a design, so our motto is Design first. And we live up to it,” said Martin in conclusion.

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 by Tim Evans

Russian Wrap Masters 2018 – Moscow brings the wrap world together

Red Square, The Kremlin, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Tomb… all iconic images of Moscow Russia but none can compare to the smiling faces saying “Dobroye utro” (Good morning) every day as we walked into the Moscow Expocentre for the 2018 Russian Wrap Masters.

September saw the arrival of the 2018 Russian Wrap Masters Cup.  4 Days of wrapping competitions, demonstrations, training and international fun organized by the RWM team based out of Saint Petersburg.

Andrey Lobov (main organizer) tells us “Russian Wrap Masters is a dream come true for me. When I started Russian Wrap Masters I had no idea how difficult it would be.  The results have been so good that all previous problems went away when I saw the fire in the eyes of the wrappers. Russian Wrap Masters is also a special educational area where wrappers can see new tricks and styles from all over the world and we invite the best judges from all over the world.  We all really enjoy this special time, when wrappers from all over the country can join together. It is a time when friendship and support are main things. It is a time when you get energy for the next year. It is Russian Wrap Masters time.”

When asked about the future of the Russian wrap market, Klaudiya Kustova said “The Russian market has developed very well over the last 10 years from the beginning stage. The number of good masters, those who have opened their own wrap schools, and those who can teach beginner installers has grown. I think there will be a rise in the number of wrappers in the future and their skill level will also grow. I think more and more masters will take part in international competitions. We are already seeing this trend.”

The competition itself fielded a group of 22 professional wrap installers from all Russia and surrounding countries.  The competitor’s skills were challenged with wrapping Suzuki vehicles, using ORAFOL film, in multiple rounds and getting creative with wrapped sleds and cycling helmets.  All of the rounds were evaluated by a wide ranging team of judges specially invited by the Russian Wrap Masters Team… Aleksander Buchko (Russia), Igor Sulakov (Russia), Tadashi Kariya (Japan), Ivan Tenchev (Bulgaria), Jim Miller (USA) and Tim Evans (USA)

Pavel Dudnikov summed up the event best when he said “… the Russian wrap market has became more informed and filled with knowledge. It is about all aspects, knowledge about materials, tools, techniques of wrapping etc, with the market continuing to go in this direction. There are more and more wrappers with very high skill, who can compete with the best world wrappers and some who have already won some worldwide competition.”

At the end of the day, when all squeegees are down, the Russian Wrap Masters champion of 2018 went to Andreas Siemens.  Congratulations Andreas and enjoy a job well done!

 

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 by Tim Evans

SEMA 2018 – After-Hours Party List

 

Where, oh where, will the parties at SEMA be?  If you have attended the Las Vegas wrap party extravaganza that is SEMA then you know this week is the industry’s wildest of the year.  To make it easy, here is a quick list of what is going on each night after the show.  There will be many private appreciation events happening but here is a nice selection of industry open fun!

 

Tuesday, October 30th – Avery Dennison – Beer Park at the Paris Hotel – 6:30pm-8:30pm

  • Invitations are required so be sure to stop by Avery’s booth #12659 and try to snag your invite fast

 

Tuesday, October 30th – Wrappy Halloween – 8pm to Midnight – (IBOW, WrapperMapper, ColorReal, Car Wrapper, MagStrapz)

 

Thursday, November 1st – WWWrap Party – Paint is Dead and presented by Fellers

 

 

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 by Tim Evans

Avery Dennison blows out this year’s SEMA booth with designs, demos, Paint is Dead and the winner of 2017 Wrap Like a King!

What do you get when you combine a phenomenal convention in Las Vegas, high quality wrapping films from Avery Dennison, world class wrap design talent from Joffery van Der Jagt, stellar install training from Justin Pate and an all-star wrap demo team…?  In short, you get an amazing booth at SEMA 2017!

Visitors to the convention floor at SEMA this year were treated to multiple wrap demonstrations at the Avery Dennison booth on a classic Chevy truck.  The wrap installation team consisted of Justin Pate (The Wrap Institute), Jim Miller (Miller Decals), Chad Parish (Graphiti Wraps) and Joffery van Der Jagt (Pro Wrap Netherlands) who worked tirelessly all week long wrapping, removing and re-wrapping all of the custom designs from the mind of Joffery van Der Jagt.  Avery Dennison Supreme wrapping films, chromes, specialty laminates and finishes were combined to creative and awesome effect.

Avery Dennison also allowed a full Paint is Dead takeover as the PiD crew swept in to do a full press strip and speedy re-wrap.

Finally, the industry was treated to a visit from the 4 finalists of the global Wrap Like a King contest with the winner being announced live on the show floor.  Congratulations to the 4 finalists and a big congrats to this years winner, returning champion from Australia, Exotic Graphix… click here to see this year’s finalists and winner.

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 by Tim Evans

Installer Teams to Wrap a Pair of McLaren 57OS Models in the 1080 Live Wrap Competition at 3M’s 2017 SEMA Booth

Installer Teams to Wrap a Pair of McLaren 57OS Models in the 1080 Live Wrap Competition at 3M’s 2017 SEMA Booth

Visitors to booth #12145 will choose the winning design

 

The wrap industry’s best and brightest will face off at SEMA 2017 to showcase the creative possibilities of 3M™ Wrap Film Series 1080 and 3M™ Knifeless Tape on two models of the McLaren 570S. SEMA attendees are invited to watch the action unfold as the twelve teams compete, and will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite designs on Thursday, November 2.

 

“The event is an exciting opportunity for graphics installers to flex their creative muscles and push the boundaries of what 1080 and Knifeless Tape can do. It’s also a great opportunity for car enthusiasts to gather some new ideas and inspiration,” said Janelle Pizzi, Marketing Supervisor, 3M Commercial Solutions. “We can’t wait to see what the teams create and which design will win the most votes.”

 

3M’s booth schedule for the 2017 SEMA Show is as follows:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Day 1 of live competition: 9:30-11:30 a.m., 12-2:00

p.m., 2:30-4:30 p.m.

  • Wednesday, Nov. 1 – Day 2 of live competition: 9:30-11:30 a.m., 12-2:00 p.m., 2:30-4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, Nov. 2 – Contest voting open until 3:30 p.m. in the 3M booth, winning team announced at 4 p.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 3 – Live demos

 

Voting during the 1080 Live Wrap Competition will be based on photos of the designs created by each team. More than $32,000 in total prizes will be awarded, which will include 3M Wrap Film Series 1080, 3M Knifeless Tape, Geek Wrap® Tools and Master Appliance Proheat heat guns. A photograph of the winning car design will also be featured on the 3M™ Design Line Knifeless Tape package.

 

After the contest wraps up, booth visitors can also watch live demos of 3M Wrap Film Series 1080, Knifeless Tape and 3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline.

 

For more information on the 3M 1080 Live Wrap Competition, visit 3M.com/WrapContest. To learn more about the 2017 SEMA Show, visit semashow.com.

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