MANCHESTER BODYSHOP
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The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association show was used by many firms as a launch pad for new products
• Big, bold and full of new body developments could be said to be the theme of the recent Bodyshop North/Bodybuilder show, with more than 100 companies participating, at Belle Vue, Manchester. Everything was exhibited from sealing strip through to complete bodies.
The show was organised by the Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association, and was used by many companies as a launch pad for new products. Significantly, many products were aimed at the light commercial vehicle sector.
Car-O-Liner (UK) Rugby launched its universal system for straightening light commercial chassis. This system, claimed to be the first, does not require the use of brackets. Car-O-Liner claims that its new LCV kit increases the opportunities for repairing light commercials.
Previously, says Car-O-Liner, the opportunity to repair panel vans and chassis cabs have been inadequate. As a result, the company reckons that a greater percentage than otherwise necessary have been written off because the means of repair have not been available — or too expensive.
The Car-O-Liner LCV bracketless system uses the vehicle's leaf-spring mounting shackles as anchor points. A special clamp for coil-spring suspension points is also available. As supplied the LCV kit, which is designed for use with the standard Car-O-Liner bench, will handle Ford Transits, Renault Trafic, Bedford Midi and the like.
Reduced costs and increased throughout are claimed for the new Berger infra-red drying system launched at the show. The Swedish-built Inhab mediumwave IR drier is available in three versions for spot and panel applications and as a robotic arch. With these three models Berger reckons that virtually any paint application can be handled.
Infra-red has long been used on production lines for drying paint. Until now the IR systems in use have been either longwave, low energy and extended drying times or shortwave. Here banks of light bulbs are used to generate high temperatures for very fast drying.
Shortwave IR is more likely to cause solvent boil, while longwave IR produces, says Berger, results which are little better than those of a low-bake oven. Mediumwave IR is said, by Berger, to combine faster drying times and better control to virtually eliminate the problems caused by solvent "popping". This occurs when the wet paint film dries from the outside inwards, trapping solvents trying to escape to the atmosphere. A proportion of this solvent then forces its way to the surface — leaving a pock-marked finish.
The new mediumwave lnhab-built system has been developed for the successful use with modern paint finishes — including two-pack systems such as Standox. The new system is said to reduce running charges to a fraction of the cost of heating and using a low-bake oven. Berger says for an overall respray, the mediumwave IR lnhab equipment energy costs were 21.8 pence per job as an average, while the equivalent cost of running an oven was approximately it 40.
Time savings of a similar order are said to be achievable. The mediumwave IR unit reduces the warm-up drying time to Just a quarter of that for a conventional oven_ The heating and cooling times of the Inhab mediumwave IR elements are shorter, around one minute compared with perhaps a quarter of an hour for longwave radiators. Also the elements have a working life of around 25,000 hours, more than twice that, says Berger, of shortwave units.
The three lnhab drying units work from a normal three-phase electricity supply and are available through Berger or its national distributor network.
As could be expected at a body repair oriented show, many recovery items were on display. lntertrade Engineering, with its Tysafe brand has now expanded its range with the introduction of an hydraulic spectacle-frame recovery unit. This joins the company's well-established self-steer A-frame which is widely used by the AA and the RAC.
Brimec (UK), Bristol, one of this country's larger hydraulic recovery vehicle equipment manufacturers, showed a full range of its products at Bodyshop North. Besides a crew cab Sherpa with Brimec 'fowl& bodywork ad a tilting deck Slideback equipped Ford Cargo 0813, the company launched its Vanguard wheel lift.
This is specially designed for recovering light commercials up to 3.5 tonnes gross by their rear wheels. Another Brimec product on show was its recovery trailer with crane facility.
A specialist in the crash repair equipment market, Cellette Churchill, showed a new bench and pulling system. The new unit is designated the M8S and is a very powerful, extra-long bench. Used together with the new C8S Caiman puller, Celette Churchill claims that it makes an exceptionally versatile straightening system to cater for everything from a Mini to a Mercedes.
The Caiman pulling unit has single-point fixing making it easy to manoeuvre. As shown at Bodyshop North the M8S was was fitted with Cellette Churchill's latest MZ bracket diagnostic system.
Celette Churchill has also revised the contents of its pulling accessory packs, clamps and chains, plus Metro 2000 measurement system accessories. Air pumps are now supplied as standard equipment rather than hand pumps, and a McPherson strut measuring device is now included as standard with a Metro 2000 pack.
The Bodyshop North Show was not just about larger items of equipment. The essential sundries, without which the trade would be at a standstill, were shown in quantity. Items such as filler are hard to work up as new product developments even though they play an essential role in body repair.
However, Bondaglass-Voss had a couple of innovations which could save time and money. The company has introduced a wall-mounted filler dispenser. This dispenses as much or as little filler as required together with the correct proportion of hardener. The Bondaglass AlOC Filler Dispenser is air operated and wall mounted. It can hold a 10kg tin of Easy Sand filler together with the hardener cartridge. As the tin is always sealed in the dispenser, it means the filler dispensed is clean and uncontaminated and does not harden around the edges.
Bondaglass-Voss reckons that in terms of reduced filler wastage through hardening in the tin, the new dispenser will cut costs of this item by some 20%.
Also new from Bondaglass-Voss was the Bonda Ferrotop 200 brush-on filler. This is designed to cover pin holes, broken feather edging or other surface imperfections left after sanding down the primary fill. The Bonda Ferrotop 200 is just brushed on to cover these imperfections. It requires mixing with normal hardener and the company claims it can be flatted back after about 20 minutes. The company claims that it is easier to use than a spray filler as it hardens much quicker and does not require gun cleaning afterwards.
Desoutter Automotive used Bodyshop North to launch a number of new UKmanufactured air drive hand-tools. The company's Model 166 is a new Nin fully reversible air drill, the 366 is a dual-action, super-silenced sander and the Desoutter Model 380 is a 4.5m right-angle grinder. The company's 378 jig saw, which was recently launched, also featured among the comprehensive range of Desoutter items shown on the stand.
Among the many spray booths on show was Imperial System's Se'spray range. This range has recently been expanded and the company is promoting the SeIspray units with a video. These Manchester-built booths are said to offer high quality at very realistic prices.
SIP (Industrial Products) showed its new Migmate portable MIG range. This company also has an extensive range of new welding products including the Ideal MIG welder and a new Pulsamatic spot gun.
A common theme to much of the new equipment on show was cost and energy savings. And reflecting this theme was Davair's new direct-fired-spray, low-bake oven. This was claimed to have up to 15% greater output combined with lower running costs.
The company also had on show its "dust-free" bodyshop central vacuum system, a new dust control unit. Welding Star showed its new low-cost plasma cutting unit alongside the company's MIG welder, spot-welder and other equipment.
Among the many items of body equipment shown was Ross and Bonnyman's Autostow fold-away tail lift. This is claimed to be the only tail lift on the market able to operate with a completely level platform and has the ability to be stowed away at the rear of the vehicle when not in use. The model shown was the 1000kg capacity Model AS1000. by Phil Reed