Collision Repair Supplement - 0820 - 8

WELDING REPAIRS

Welding repairs of today:
A myriad of materials

Collision repair shops must be prepared to weld different material types
to successfully retain as much business in-house as possible.
by Tyler Fussner, Assistant Editor

C

ollision repair is changing.
Most vehicles entering body
shops today are comprised
of various materials - whether they
be different steels, aluminums, or
plastics. Depending on the vehicles
entering your shop, you may find
opportunities to complete collision
repair services on newer materials
than you have in the past. From major
welding jobs to pulling dents, most
shops strive to retain business and
service any vehicle that comes their
way. Understanding the nuances of
some of these materials that make
up the vehicles on the road and in
the bay, as well as the equipment
and tools needed to complete such
repairs, can help shops to establish
and keep more business in-house.

STEELS, ALUMINUMS,
AND PLASTICS - OH MY!
Body shops have handled steel for
decades. However, today's vehicles are
made of more than just one material. The
most prominent material on the rise in
vehicle construction is aluminum.
"The repair of aluminum [is] going
to keep on being a strong trend in the
marketplace where shops will have to
become not only aware of it, but also more
knowledgeable on that aspect," says David
Swanson, director of business development, Dent Fix Equipment.
Material awareness as it relates to
repairs is important for many reasons,
the primary of those being that welding equipment and procedures vary

8 I Collision Repair I August 2020

Cindy Goff/Dreamstime.com

depending on the material at-hand.
"In the past, everything was close to
100 percent steel," says Eric Sponhaltz,
national sales and marketing manager at
H&S Autoshot. "Steel car equals a steel
repair procedure."
Sponhaltz continues speaking to the
mixed materials technicians face today.
"The present and future [is comprised
of] mixed metals. [For example,] the
advent of aluminum, [and] high strength
steel entering the mix of cars; the reason
for that is they're much thinner and much
easier to work with, but they require a
different tool and a process than your traditional mild steel," Sponhaltz explains.
As the material awareness grows
more prominent throughout the industry, an information gap may still exist
regarding the tools and equipment that
shops can utilize to handle the different materials pulling into their bays. Not
only may different equipment be needed,
but welding procedures themselves will
be adjusted accordingly per the material

being repaired. Sponhaltz explains some
of the differences to keep in mind when
repairing aluminum and high strength
steel versus traditional mild steel.
"That repair process is different
because at least in our world, aluminum
acts completely differently than steel,"
Sponhaltz says. "It contaminates easily.
It breaks down easily. It corrodes easily. There are different procedures and
techniques that have to be used in an
aluminum repair than those [used] in a
steel repair. High strength steel and aluminum in vehicles are thinner metals,
so they're going to melt at lower temperatures, and the welding technique is
going to be affected when putting the car
back together."
Sponhaltz advises that a traditional
steel stud gun will not be the answer for a
technician welding a pin to an aluminum
panel to pull a dent, as the heat applied
from the gun will likely burn a hole
through the panel of aluminum. H&S
Autoshot utilizes a technology known as
Collision Repair Supplement - 0820

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